All in an Instant and Before
by Ranowa Hikura
Summary: What happens when your worst enemy is yourself? What happens when your best friend is a voice in your head? And what happens when they're both not real? Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Anndddd I'm back, bitches!

...No words can describe how excited I am to say that and be posting this :)

*cue gigantic author's note

Heh… *pokes head out from bomb shelter* Hello! Hi there! Anybody remember me? Heh... I'm so sorry for disappearing. You guys are so awesome, and I've missed you, but my muse got kidnapped by Naruto, and... it became a lengthy abduction... but, if it's any consolation, I've never been able to give up on this story. Credit for the idea goes to one of my best friends in real life; it's been over a year since she gave me this amazing idea and I STILL haven't been able to give up on this as my favorite idea for a fic ever. She was weaving the story of an absolutely fantastic Artler fic that she wanted to write, and this came into my head, and… I fell in love. And, all the messages you guys left me asking if I was coming back here were very well appreciated and fueled my motivation to write :)

Full summary: When Artemis goes back in time with a machine that shouldn't, by all rights, exist, Foaly, Butler, Holly, and No1 only have three days to find out his reasons for doing so before they'll have a crisis on their hands. And, in the past, Artemis has fallen ill with a mysterious sickness, which only exacerbates his Atlantis Complex and makes it harder to for him to complete his mission.

Cover for this fic: That's Uchiha Sasuke from Naruto. If you imagine Sasuke is Artemis, you have the image I'm trying to convey- should make more sense the further we get into this :)

Story note: Takes place between TTP and TAC. Also, I'm American. Never been to Europe. I did what research I could, so travel times/methods between Dublin to Liverpool to London, etc. are hopefully accurate... but since originally I somehow wrote Artemis going from a Dublin that was in Northern Ireland across the English Channel to a London that I thought was in the UK but geographically would've been in Scotland... well, no promises :D Please note any mistakes you see so I can fix them. Also, I screw around with canon a little- like the mechanics of time travel and Atlantis Complex. Should only bother you if you're a real stickler for canon, but, well, thought I should announce it now :)

And now, at LONG LAST- ENJOY!

* * *

_September 13th, 2006,__Fowl Manor_

It was hot.

So bloody hot.

Artemis stumbled at his legs gave out on him, but with a flare of warm energy that was not his own, he had steadied himself once again.

_Easy, Artemis, easy. Stay calm; do not let them suspect us. _

He nodded his head in thanks, the motion minute, and dragged a sleeve across his forehead that was damp with sweat. His stomach shifted nauseatingly and the ordeal that was walking magnified exponentially, but the steady, reassuring beat of foreign strength in time with the pained attempts of his heart kept him grounded and calm.

He took in a near wheeze of breath and wiped at the sticky dampness on his face again, then flinched at the burning heat. He was so tired of being hot- so tired of being ill- so tired of feeling as if he were about to burst into flames when he put on his suit in the morning and as if his arm were about to get frostbite and drop off if he so much as rolled his sleeve up.

_I just want to go down to my laboratory... lock myself in the freezer... bury myself in ice... and freeze in there forever. _

"How much longer, Artemis? Honestly, there's no reason to bury your lab as far away from the entrance as possible."

Artemis frowned.

_No. First, I want to kill Foaly. THEN I'll go and bury myself in ice._

He turned slightly to glare at the centaur, feeling a harsh surge of hatred rise within him that wasn't entirely his own, and had to turn away before the anger surfaced in his eyes. "Not very long now, Foaly," he snapped, continuing on with his brisk walk- as fast a pace as he was able, now. _Soon, I will be rid of this- this nonsense, this danger, this DISASTER. _

_Soon, it will have never happened. _

He glanced over his shoulder again, surveying the possible threats behind him and ensuring there was nothing to be overtly suspicious of. The group of four following him was a complicated mishmash of honest innocence and devious, malicious cunning, so mismatched in physicality and intent that it was almost a surprise to see them all congregated here together. There was Foaly, of course, still trotting fast behind him, his person stuffed with numerous flashy (read: deadly) gadgetry and who knows what fairy-in-design catastrophes waiting to happen- countenance all arrogance and contorted with self-importance. Beside him was Holly- that horrible power lurking just under her skin, a virulent poison the color of the sky that sparkled like electricity; she even more dangerous than her companion.

A proud centaur that looked most out place in the modern hallway, more as if he'd walked out of a storybook than a spaceship, and a tiny elf that had the look of a child but the expression of a (somewhat bored) adult? They both looked- well, incongruous, yes- but distinctly nonthreatening. In fact, the thickly muscled, mountainous human and the more demonic than humanoid form on his other side looked far more dangerous than them.

_How horribly ironic. _

It made Artemis's blood boil, and he had to turn away before his upper lip curled with disgust.

_You keep up with your confident strut and your show of innocence, you two. You won't have much reason to be confident soon. _

And then- reassurance to soothe the unease, comfort to calm the anger; promises to please the anxious.

_Don't look at Foaly, Artemis. He knows what we're planning. Don't let him get even more suspicious. Just go on as planned, and everything will go off without a hitch._

Another flood of warm support took him and held him fast in the moment, refusing to let him dwell in the throes of revenge. With a firm smile, Artemis drew himself up to his full height and continued walking.

_Your wish is my command... _

The confines of his mind remained silent at the thought, as if feigning innocence- and, in a way, they were- innocent, that was. They weren't responsible for the painful beat of his heart, the raging fever, the aching limbs, the waves of crushing fatigue.

The people who were walked behind him- guilty as sin but with an appearance of the epitome of innocence. And he could not allow that to continue.

The voice was right. They were too far along now for their plan to fall apart.

The only possible outcome was success. Failure was not an option.

Artemis carefully kept his steps in time with the others, trying to reign in the thrumming excitement that pulled him along faster. He walked in time with Butler, his powerful manservant's footsteps barely audible on the soft carpet, the man long ago trained to be silent- but Butler thought there was no danger. He was not trying to be quiet.

Butler... oh, so ignorant. Innocent, yes, but _so ignorant_.

_I am sorry, old friend. I know that what I am about to do is going to hurt you. But there is no choice. I will keep you and my family safe. If that means hurting you in the short run- so be it. _

Along with Butler's footsteps was the familiar waddling tread of a demon, accompanied by the distinctive thump of his tail as he hurried along as fast as his short legs could carry him. Oh, if Butler made him feel guilty, then No1 simply drowned him in the stuff. No1 was being manipulated and forced, he was sure of it; the little imp could not even harm a fly- never mind a sentient human being. Besides, No1 lacked the cunning- and intelligence, he suspected- to participate in a scheme such as this. No- the fairies were simply manipulating him. Using him.

_...Which I am about to do..._

Something cold gripped him, and it took an effort to remind himself of collateral damage.

Not that that made him feel better, but this operation wasn't about making himself feel better.

"If the trek to your lab is much longer, I think Trubz will come up here himself," Foaly complained again, and Artemis's thin patience almost snapped. "You have any idea how much paperwork I had to get signed to keep this little guy up here?"

_Oh. Is this an inconvenience to you? I'm ever so sorry. It's not like this is anything like an inconvenience to me... oh, no, of course not... _

No1 giggled, and the very sound of that raspy voice started up the twinges of another migraine reverberating through Artemis's skull. "Wow," the little imp said. "I must be very important. Invaluable. Needed. Indispensable. Nec-"

"_Thank_ you, No1, that will be all," Artemis snapped. He glanced nervously at his watch, and once again experienced an unfamiliar rush of endorphins, of an anticipation not quite parallel to his own.

_HURRY, now, hurry! Soon, you'll be away from these fairies. You'll be healthy again. You'll be HAPPY, Artemis._

Happiness. A foreign concept to him now, friendless and so ill and alone, but an enticing one.

Whether the voice was lying or not, he had nothing to lose.

Artemis finally reached the locked door that led to his lab. He pressed his palm against the scanner, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and announced to the microphone, "_Dea Diana uni in hac fabulā servit."_

The computer recognized the phrase and his voice while the fairies all sent him odd looks. "Goddess Diana serves this one in the myth?" Foaly repeated. "What in Frond's name… kid, couldn't you have at least picked something less cryptic?"

"It's a voice identification phrase," he said coldly. "It's not supposed to mean anything." _You also translated it incorrectly, which is good, because its meaning is meant for me and me alone- as in _not you_, you meddlesome centaur._

"So eccentric, Mud Boy," Foaly muttered under his breath, and Artemis shuddered. _Four words. Four. Four is death._

There was another surge of contempt for the centaur, feelings and thoughts he didn't quite recognize coursing through his veins and his mind. "So very eccentric, indeed, Foaly," Artemis retorted, and only relaxed slightly when he began the fifth word.

He started to tremble before tapping his finger five times against his leg to calm himself down. It wouldn't be long until this was all over, and the fairies, their cursed plot and cursed fours, were gone for good.

_From my life, anyway. _

Artemis led the way into his lab's observation room. "Enter if you want, friends," he announced, wincing as his steadily worsening migraine pulsed at the voice's anger and ridicule at his insisted word count. The group followed his gesture and walked forward, not noticing as he self-consciously brushed the sweat off his feverish forehead and his damp locks behind his ears.

It was clear that Foaly, above all else, was suspicious. His eyes narrowed and he looked around the small room as Artemis shut and locked the door behind them. His gaze lingered on the low cot in the corner and the multiple computers, half hidden by the blanket, the diagrams and blueprints and assorted remainders of exhaustion and sickness. Artemis swallowed uncomfortably and walked forward to the plexiglass window, gesturing to the fruit of his labors in his laboratory, partly to simply try and distract Foaly. "If I may direct your attention to my new invention. As discussed, it's capable of storing magic with more efficiency than any device already created- simply requires a magical creature to begin experimentation and troubleshooting." He would have slipped his shaking hands into his pockets but they were already so warm- he literally thought his blood would boil if he trapped them within the sweltering black cloth. So he tapped patterns of five as he looked to Foaly, waiting in a well of anxiety for his approval.

The centaur frowned, looking on at the machine that appeared more like something one would see in a stereotypical sci-fi movie than anything practical. Sleek aluminum and shiny curves, glowing cords of energy strung between the orbs gathered in a circular fashion on the floor- a beautiful show crafted for appearances, and he had to congratulate the voice on its theatrics. Still, Artemis shifted uncomfortably as Foaly examined the device with a calculating suspicion and a critical eye, worry brewing that the centaur would see through the facade.

_Fool! Stop standing there and WATCHING everything! Our magic will only sustain the illusion for so long. Get the demon in there now!_

Artemis winced at the harsh order. _I know what must be done. Don't talk to me as if I need your instruction! _

Of course, there was no reply, and he just let out a terse sigh as he walked to unlock the heavy concrete door that separated the two rooms, then gestured No1 forward. "Come. Your assistance is required."

"Hold up, Artemis." Foaly glanced at him, clearly suspicious of some deceit. "That thing doesn't look anything like the specs you sent me."

"I made a few… alterations. Purely aesthetic, I assure you."

Foaly didn't seem very convinced, but he grudgingly moved back and allowed Artemis and No1 to pass, prompting Artemis to wonder. Foaly was very likely the mastermind behind this godforsaken disease. He knew the centaur didn't trust him and was conspiring against him. Why was he trusting him on this? …Perhaps-

_Stop letting him get to you, Artemis. I can see it on your face you're second guessing yourself. Remember, the fairies are not stupid. They've had YOU fooled this entire time, right? Of course they're going to act like they're your friends to your face. But they're not- they're only using you. Must I remind you, Artemis? How ill have you been lately? What, you think I'M the reason you're sick? Me, the one who warned you. No, fool. It's them. Foaly, Holly, Trouble- all against you, human. Don't second guess us now!_

Artemis resisted the urge to cover his ears and forced himself to nod in agreement. He knew that, had always known that, and there was no remaining ounce of doubt in him as he moved to put his plan into action. Doubt had been shredded into nothing long ago; all that remained was determination.

He shut the door behind him, nodding expectantly when it locked automatically, and pointed forward, directing No1 as to where to stand. "Careful not to touch the machine; it's sensitive."

He watched the little demon maneuver his way forward, stepping over nonexistent wires obediently and taking overly large measure to avoid the device. "No1, I trust that you were informed of this procedure?"

No1 nodded confidently, but that wasn't enough.

_Repeat the plan. Repeat it now, because this plan isn't worth sabotage because you're lazy._

Artemis nodded weakly and gave a resigned sigh before announcing, "Well, hearing it again won't bring you any… unnecessary harm. You are to summon magic. Let it hover on your skin, don't attempt to use it; I will take care… of all in its entirety."

The odd phrasing went right over No1's head. Always naive and trusting, the imp nodded easily even as Artemis moved away and clasped his hands behind his back. And then, the demon raised his stubby hands, concentrated for only a moment, before the precious blue sparks Artemis had been waiting for came into existence.

The blue materializing on his fingertips developed fast into a multitudinous storm that covered his entire body in an azure film. Artemis only barely kept himself calm and impassive on the outside; on the inside, a shuddering excitement was beginning to overflow even _his_ stubborn apathy, both his mind and the voice watching their plan unfold with a kind of newfound amazement. _It's happening! It's actually happening! _

When his machine began to glow, and the demon quickly became indistinguishable in the sapphire cloud, it was almost impossible to keep his anticipation off his face. He watched eagerly, the voice's full support engendering a powerful confidence that soared when everything progressed according to plan. Everything was going along more smoothly than could be believed, and the nervous patterns of five he tapped along his leg was more habit than for luck, for surely events couldn't go along better than they were right now.

Until, at last-!

_Now! It's ready! Go now!_

He smiled grimly.

_Understood._

Artemis walked forward steadily into the cloud of blue, his movements without hesitation, to stare impassively down at No1. The imp was rooted to the spot, paralyzed by just an ounce of the power that he was emitting, eyes wide with a terrible fright and possibly even pain, inhuman features twisted in what Artemis could only assume to be terror. The raw emotion he saw staring up at him sent a pang of guilt piercing through his heart, and when Artemis managed to arrange his features in a smile, it was a bitter and frail one.

_I am sorry, No1. I do not want to use you like this. _

_But... this is necessary. _

He held up his smile for a moment longer, trying to convey his own apology in the expression before a cruelty that was not his overruled it, and his smile turned into a smirk.

"Thank you. You've been instrumental. But now, it's my turn." And he slapped his hand on what, to his pseudo friends, appeared to be nothing more than thin air.

And his world was set on fire.

Pain shot through him like a bolt of electricity. A raw scream tore lose from his throat and his hair frizzed in an electric halo as he was jerked upright, the furious levels of energy raging higher than anything he could control. The unrestrained power lit up his nerves and he was given another shock, this one so powerful he was lifted off his feet and thrown back to slam against the wall. Everything was framed in a sharp, electric blue and he saw his arms raise of their own accord, his entire body trembling so violently he feared he was going to fall apart.

His agonized scream echoed off the walls as the power continued to grow; his head was pounding and his chest was about to explode and his entire vision turned blue as the room began to vibrate, and-

_Hold still, human! Let me take it! Give it to me! This much power will kill you! You have to relax!_

Artemis didn't know how to release the power and give it to someone else, and even if he did, he lacked the strength to do anything but exist and endure. If the voice hadn't taken over for him then, relieving him of responsibility and easing him of the pain, he surely would have died, unable to control such power, and the moment when the voice's influence stronger than ever before was the moment when a surge of relief washed over him. He felt his limbs relax even as he lost the ability to control them and the pain began to fade, a terrible, excruciating torture becoming a simple, encompassing ache that felt like heaven after the electrifying jolts he'd just experienced.

Artemis gasped and jerked as the magic wave climaxed and grew within him, now being curtailed by the strength of the voice, and he shook from the sheer power of it, the enormous swirl of pure energy growing and growing inside him. It hurt again, even with the voice easing some of the agony, though it remained nothing when compared to before- but that was when the power started to take form in front of him. And everyone, both he and the stunned, frantic fairies and human trapped in the observation room, were frozen into gaping statues by the sight.

It formed so quickly, one could easily have missed it if they weren't watching. At first, there was nothing, and then, a revolving purple trapezoid materialized in midair. It was static-like and not fully formed; the edges kept winking in and out of existence, and the worlds he saw in it kept blurring and crumpling in on one another. But it was still there, and the sight thrilled him beyond belief.

_It's here- it's here! This is it! I'VE DONE IT!_

His hands raised of their own accord and sapphire sparks ignited on his fingertips, ones that rapidly took a solid form and drifted forward to glow in midair. They glittered and shone as brilliantly as a multitude of stars, then suddenly shifted to turn violet. The now violet sparks multiplied and solidified, bonds forming between them and glowing like a brilliant nebula that shone so brightly it almost blinded him.

A thousand different worlds, shifting in the blink of an eye, shone from the depths of the spiraling purple vortex. But they glitched like lines of computer code, sections vanishing in a crackle of static as the edges of the trembling purple framing them fell in and out of existence, shaky gaps appearing in the dimensionless vortex.

_Go! I have done what I can! You must go, and go now! _

"_Artemis! Artemis, what are you doing?!"_

Artemis jumped slightly, then shakily raised his head to stare in the direction of the voice. There, behind the glass and staring at him, transfixed by horror, were Holly and Foaly. He could barely see Butler, who, by the looks of it, was trying to break the through the door. The desperation in Holly's frantic eyes gave him pause for one single moment, and then he tore his gaze away from his friend's eyes and jumped shakily to his feet. He couldn't give up now. He couldn't look at her, at them; they were not his friends. Only the voice. He could only trust the voice_; only it mattered._

He ripped off his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt as he forced himself to look away from fairies trying frantically to get into the room, hurriedly undressing as fast as possible. He heard the sound of shattering glass and looked over to see that Butler had finally managed to punch through the glass and was in the process of ripping a wider hole.

_Human! Move! Move now! I can't hold it much longer!_

Artemis was yanked out of his stunned reverie, then looked around in a panic before beginning to loosen his belt. "But I-"

_It doesn't matter! We don't have time! GO!_

And Artemis ran towards the time tunnel and threw himself forward, vanishing right out of time just as Holly reached out to grab him.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for reviewing! Next chapter, we get a little more of what was going on with Artemis before last chapter. For now, some actual exposition :) Enjoy!

* * *

_November 13th, 2006, Fowl Manor_

Holly was already in the air when Artemis had stepped forward to disappear in the time stream. She reached out anyway, body in flight as her arm struggled to even touch a strain of the past Artemis had vanished into, but she didn't get to do more than graze the hot, glowing edge of the time tunnel before it disappeared.

She hit the ground with a crash.

There was a rush of warm energy, a wave so powerful it left her reeling and almost nauseous, the intangible strength real enough to turn her spinning over on the ground so fast her world was a blur until she slammed into the wall. Stars flickered in her vision but the roar of the temporal particles and Artemis's machine ceased, leaving her prone and frozen on the floor, silent and thoroughly stunned.

It was instinct that had her up on her feet when her vision was still blurry and her head was still pounding, turning around the wrecked lab in a shocked attempt to understand the impossible. No1 was still paralyzed on the floor, trembling violently, looking as if the powerful wave of- of _whatever_ had sent him for a tumble too. Foaly had been blasted into a computer screen and was nursing several small cuts, but appeared to be fine, while Butler seemed to have been forced back a few steps but had managed to stand his ground.

And Artemis was still gone.

A heavy air of stunned silence hovered in the room. It was stifling and oppressive and stuffed any attempts at words or breath back into her throat; she couldn't do anything but stand and stare at the horrifying emptiness.

And then the frozen stillness was shattered**.**

"What just happened?!" Butler demanded, vehement and urgent, and when no one answered him the bodyguard moved forward into the circle of stunned fairies with the clear intent of lifting the shaking demon right off the ground and asking him for his answer. "No1! No1, what happened?! _Where's Artemis?!" _

The tiny imp just shuddered while they all stared. A few vestiges of power fell from his fingertips and he blinked, his eyes shimmering in blue. He tried to speak but starting twitching instead, breathing heavily. Holly took a step towards him before Butler shook him slightly, trying to jolt him out of it, and the demon managed to stutter out, "H-he took it. Took it. It's gone... he t-took it."

Foaly moved forward at that, the words enough to shake him out of his daze, and roughly elbowed the shell shocked bodyguard aside to grab the trembling imp by the shoulder. He, too, shook No1, his motions just as urgent and panicked as Butler's, and Holly moved forward as well just as the frantic questioning began. "Your magic! No1, did he take your magic?! _No1!_"

The imp blinked and nodded numbly, leaving them all staring at him in outright shock and encompassing horror. Holly's mouth opened and shut without purpose and she gasped like a suffocating fish, all rational thought fleeing at the notion of the impossible, leaving her with nothing but stunned and rampant emotion. _Artemis took No1's magic?! But... how- why- I don't understand! _

There was a sharp crackling noise from behind her, and Holly spun around at the sound of the machine activating again that caused them all to tear their eyes away from No1. The thing's outline had started to blur, shifting in and out of reality several time before the illusion flickered and vanished entirely- only to be replaced with an entirely more sinister looking device.

If the _first_ machine had looked futuristic, then this one was a direct copy of the torture devices and otherworldly machines depicted in Mud Men alien comics. It was a dark sort of faded grey, and any previous devotions to aesthetics had disappeared entirely; there were jagged edges here and there, a few cracks, strange smudges- it looked both darkly impressive and cobbled together in the last minute. And that was just what was remaining of it; most of it had vanished entirely; instead of the old, complicated array of wires and orbs and silver, there was now just two pointed spikes with veins that glowed blue with energy inlaid on the surface. They were directed so No1 had been their target.

It was not hard to imagine what their purpose had been for.

Holly simply gaped at it. She hadn't thought it was possible for her to get any more stunned than she already had been, but apparently, she'd been wrong, because the continuing occurrence of the unexpected left her reeling yet again. They all stared at it uncertainly- except for No1, who was still trembling and muttering almost soundlessly under his breath, and Foaly, who hesitantly approached it. "Oh my gods," he breathed, stumbling forward to touch it nervously. "Holy Frond. It can't be. This… it's not supposed to exist. It can't."

"Foaly? Foaly, what are you talking about?" Butler demanded, but his voice was edging on a command, with a dark warning lurking underneath, an undercurrent of steel as he stepped forward to stand beside him. "Where's Artemis? What happened to him?! And what just happened to his machine?!"

Holly glanced to the centaur herself, wanting to hear someone else confirm her desperate hope that what she had seen hadn't been real. That it had just _looked_ like Artemis had stolen magic, created a time tunnel, and ran off into the past- that he hadn't actually done it. But Foaly didn't even seem to have heard him, too engrossed by the sight in front of him, nor did he give her the words she so much wanted to hear- and so it fell to her to answer Butler's question.

She couldn't lie, not even to give voice to the private hopes that this wasn't real. Her only option was to tell him the truth.

"That… that was a time tunnel, Butler. Artemis… Arty went back in time."

Butler's mouth fell open in disbelief, and Holly just turned to stare at the spot where Artemis had vanished. She still couldn't believe it herself. She actually could not believe her own eyes.

_Artemis... what have you done?_

Butler finally managed to gasp, "_What?_" He turned shakily around to stare, as she was, at where Artemis had vanished while Foaly still examined the machine with trembling hands. None of them could grasp the situation or had any idea whatsoever what was going on.

A few nervous seconds passed in a pregnant silence until Foaly finally turned back to face the others, a shade paler and eyes wide with shock. The centaur opened and shut his mouth soundlessly for a few moments before at last managing to stammer, "H-Holly, call Trouble. Call him _now_. It's an… it's an emergency."

_Oh, if ever there was a bigger statement of the obvious... _Holly numbly nodded and put on her helmet with shaking hands. "Call Trouble," she told it, still breathing hard. "C-call Commander Kelp."

She was met with silence. Holly repeated the command once more before she blinked, and the message flashing constantly across her visor actually registered. _Connection with Police Plaza lost. Make contact immediately. Situation has been reported to Op's Booth. Connection with Police Plaza lost…_

_Ah, wonderful. The situation getting worse; that's just what we need._

"Um, Foaly?" she asked nervously, pushing up her visor and looking at him. "I don't have a link to Police Plaza. Nothing in or out."

"What? That's impossible!" Foaly pulled out of his phone, then blinked and examined it closer in confusion. "I don't have service either. Butler? What about you?"

The manservant only two two seconds to confirm Foaly's suspicion and shake his head, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Nothing. What… what's going on? Artemis, he-"

"No time, Butler, no time. Oh, gods… this is bad, this is _so_ bad..."

"_Foaly!_" Holly yelled, cutting off his frantic speech. "Foaly, what is going on?! How did Artemis… and why did that machine… just what the _hell_ is happening here?!"

The centaur swiveled to stare at her- and his expression of wide eyes, almost slack jaw, and stunned features said his answer perfectly clearly without words being used. The vocalization of his thoughts only proceeded to turn the situation from serious to dire.

"I don't know."

_Police Plaza, Haven _

"Commander? We have a big problem."

Those were not words that any commander ever wanted to hear. And with his top technical consultant, captain, and newbie demon warlock above ground cavorting about with the most dangerous human on the planet, they could spell downright disaster.

Trouble slowly raised his eyes off the paperwork before him to look at the uncertain pixie standing in the doorway to his office. Cenk Norwidth, a man not prone to exaggeration but one who tended to turn to his supervisors for help rather than deal with a problem himself. This could either be absolutely nothing, or, very bad indeed.

"Yes?" he asked warily. "What's going on?"

Cenk shifted nervously and chewed on his lower lip, playing uncertainly with the sheet of paper in his hands. "It's the monitors for Koboi, Commander. And Fowl, actually… they're all going off like crazy. Ireland's a hot spot on our maps, and I know you said we should be paying particular attention to Fowl Manor today and it's the dead center of the chaos..."

_Annnnd... yep. Very bad indeed. _

Trouble was on his feet before Cenk could shift awkwardly one more time, near sprinting out the door and dragging the pixie behind him by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me everything!" he ordered without heed for who could overhear or the classified nature of the discussion. This was more important than bureaucracy. "What happened?! Monitors for Koboi- which ones?! Have we found her or no?"

"No- it's the ones we set up to measure temporal currents, sir, and they're lighting up all over Ireland. Working on getting a satellite picture now."

Trouble swore under his breath. When the younger Opal had slipped through his fingers only a few short months ago, Foaly had worked on setting up a system to try and track the megalomaniac's movements on the surface. He had an entire team dedicated to monitoring the elaborate alarm system and any activity from it was bad- no question about it. The temporal current monitors had been Foaly's idea, as the centaur had pointed out that she may try to return to her own time- and Trouble wasn't very pleased to hear he may have been right.

"And in Ireland? Have you made contact with Holly?"

Cenk shook his head and looked away. "No… we tried but couldn't reach her. No signal- no signal of anything in Dublin, in fact, and that includes Fowl Manor."

Trouble paled at the thought, and he actually froze for a split second, coming to a halt to stare at him before forcing himself to keep moving. _What? That's impossible. _"You don't just mean with the regular monitors- what about all the secret ones Foaly claims not to have? _Nothing_ at all?"

"You got it. It's as if Dublin just vanished out of this dimension."

Trouble swore under his breath again. "We need satellite picture. Now."

Cenk nodded as the pair finally reached the door to Foaly's lab. "As I said, we're trying- but no satellite will be in range until the next five minutes. ...We're doing everything we can."

_D'Arvit. I just knew this meeting with Fowl was a bad idea. Something always goes wrong when he's involved- and this is the epitome of wrong. _Trouble shook his head angrily as he tossed open the door and led the way inside- then found himself dodging an elf who was scampering throughout the complete chaos within.

Foaly was far too paranoid to let anyone use his Op's Booth in his absence, which meant his lab would be deviated off experimenting and more towards mission-usage whenever the centaur was out of the office. And that meant whenever whenever a serious problem cropped up- like now- the room deteriorated into a disaster area.

There was a team of techs clustered around a set of computers and monitors in the back of the room, machines that displayed what appeared to Trouble to be just a bunch of flashing red numbers and erratically patterned lines, at least five fairies dashing around with printouts and files clutched in their hands, and above it all was an elf in way over his head, the diminutive little man actually standing up on a chair as he screamed orders, trying- and failing- to get someone to listen to him. Trouble stared agape at the disaster before he was almost bowled over again.

_What the... _

When someone accidentally nudged the screaming guy's chair and almost knocked him over, he decided it was time to take action.

Turning off the lights was a decidedly juvenile move, but if his employees were going to act like children, they might as well be treated like them. The descent of darkness brought on an immediate silence and cessation of movement, as everyone stopped in their tracks to turn to see who would be audacious enough to turn off the lights, and then, froze when they saw they were in no place to be chastising the one responsible.

Trouble nodded his approval, even as he turned around, searching for the one in charge here. "Crisis does not equal panic mode, everyone. You _know_ that. Now, of all times, is _not_ when you should be running around and screaming. Now- what's the situation?"

After a short moment in which the room's occupants all continued to just stand and stare, motion started up again, albeit at a slower, quieter- but no less urgent- pace. The elf who'd been standing on a chair before hopped down and hurried to his side, features drawn and pale with stress and anxiety. "Alex Markson, sir, Foaly's assistant. We're trying to find out what's going on- we still don't know. Waiting for satellite picture but until then, it's impossible to tell."

"Do we know what tripped the monitors? Can we tell?" Trouble asked as he was led forward, but Alex shook his head.

"No. We can deduce a little but their purpose was to alert us when something was up so we could go see for ourselves. All we know is that it was the monitors we had for any large spikes of magic and the temporal currents that went off first; then almost directly after everything began malfunctioning, or we lost connection altogether."

"_Everything?" _Trouble repeated in surprise. _Technical doodahs aren't my thing, I'll be the first to admit, but even I think that has to be unlikely. _"What are the chances of that?! ...Could someone be making them do this- infecting them with a virus or something?"

Alex shook his head. "Nope. Not a chance. Some of these monitors are run by different networks altogether; the chances of someone being able to put a virus like this on all of the systems simultaneously are astronomically low. Something else made us lose connection with them."

_D'Arvit... why didn't I think Fowl getting involved again would be a horrible idea?! _

Trouble looked over the flashing alarms and beeping red numbers with an increasing sense of dread- one that only escalated when another elf approached them to tell them that a satellite was finally in range. Alex ordered for it to be brought up onto the main monitor, and they both swiveled around to watch as the situation at Fowl manor was revealed to them.

The room went deadly silent.

Trouble paled.

_Fowl Manor_

"Still no signal! No anything, Foaly!"

"Keep going! We'll run into a network sometime!"

The very mismatched group continued their journey at breakneck speed, heading up the stairs of Fowl manor with their phones out and eyes on the screens, waiting for even a single bar of service to pop up so they could contact Police Plaza about the situation. Foaly led the pack, easily outstripping them all with his four legs instead of two, while Holly sprinted right on his tail, and Butler brought up the rear with still shell-shocked No1 draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I'll explain now," Foaly panted as they hurried throughout the manor, "since we don't have time to waste. I recognize the machine that Artemis was using- Opal Koboi had specs for it that she never got around to building. She had designed it as a method of giving humans magic, presumably for her own personal use after she used surgery to turn human. I don't have any idea how Artemis got them, but those were almost exact replicas of what she described in her specs."

Holly frowned. She couldn't imagine it would be very hard for Artemis Fowl to track down old designs of Opal's- or even conceive of them himself without any influence from the malicious mastermind- but that hardly explained what had happened here."But, Foaly-"

"But it still doesn't make any sense!" Foaly continued, though, now, it sounded more as if he were talking to himself than his companions. He near galloped up the stairs, leaving the others struggling to even keep up, still talking. "Enough magic to create a time tunnel- that's more than _elves_ can handle. Only demons can take that much! He never could've handled it- it's impossible! That Mud Boy- what was he _thinking?!_"

_Exactly, _Holly thought grimly, and together the four hurried out onto the first floor, away from the underground lab and towards the front door. _Artemis... what were you thinking? _

Finally in the home stretch, now, Foaly led the way up to the door of the mansion, muttering inaudibly to himself while No1 did the same, until he reached the entryway where he wrenched the door open.

He ran outside, then skidded to a stop so fast Holly and Butler both stumbled into him.

Holly barely managed to stop herself from crashing into Foaly by hanging onto the door frame, and her mouth was already open to swear at him before she caught sight of what had frozen Foaly in his tracks.

A shimmering, azure cloud hovered over the manor, casting the great expanse of pale, rolling fields in an eerie blue light. The surface was solid, opaque, glowing with the power of magic and veins of sparkling energy shifting over the force field like virulent, dangerous wires of electricity.

The blue extended out to the city of Dublin and beyond, continuing beyond what they could see.

They were in a massive time stop.

* * *

_December 05, 1998, Fowl Manor  
_

Artemis landed in a heap on the floor, gasping for breath and coughing up what felt like time particles as he trembled and wheezed past gritted teeth. The disorientation of every limb, every muscle, every nerve, every _molecule_ disassembling and then coming back together again as if he were some kind of machine was powerful, and he was left numb and still with the shock of it. He felt like his leg was on fire and his vision was a blur of red and blue, and Artemis knew that this wasn't a side-affect of time travel, because he'd gone to the past before, and it didn't feel like this.

But physicalities were not important here- there was something far more dire at hand than that.

His mind felt different… empty… lonely.

The voice was gone.

_I was right, then. _

_I'm not insane- they are real. _

The expected conclusion only led to a sense of determination, and he let his head droop slightly in a firm nod, course of action already set and clear. This was no surprise, and now that the voice's identity had been confirmed, he was left with no doubt of what he had to do.

_I'll make this right. For all of you, and me. I swear it._

Still gasping between clenched teeth, Artemis slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, blinking. He let his gaze roam hesitantly around the room and finally released a tense sigh when he found that he was, in fact, in his laboratory. He was in the right location- and, clearly, not that far off of the right time. Had they done it? Was he in the right time period?

Artemis pulled his phone out of his pocket and shook it slightly, watching as the display trembled, phone searching for networks that wouldn't exist for ten years yet (hopefully). This would be the true test of his programming- a phone that could work in any time period.

Finally receiving a signal from what Artemis guessed to be a military base, all his programs came to life- including the calendar. He eagerly tapped it to at last find the date he had been waiting for flashing right back at him.

December 05 1998

Artemis smiled grimly.

_Perfect. _

He just sat there for a moment, drinking in the knowledge that this was finally it, his plan was in action and it was all up to him, now, before he pocketed his phone and flexed still shaky fingers. There would be time enough for euphoric celebrations later. Now, there was work to be done.

He had to get to his study and change the records so that, when Butler looked back on them later, he would see no sign of a mysterious time traveler. Then, get out of here as fast as possible- his plan had to start in two days, and he wasn't even in the right country.

That was when Artemis tried to stand.

Hot white pain whiplashed up his leg and he promptly collapsed, barely catching himself before he hit the floor. He bit back a scream, sucking in a gasp and holding it until he was dizzy with pain and breathlessness, the harsh aching of his limb only escalating with each breath he took. He let out a strangled cry and forced himself to turn his head, shift so he could see the source of the pain even when moving merely a centimeter made it feel like someone had taken a saw to his leg.

And what he saw was so gruesome he nearly passed out.

Now, Artemis had seen a lot of truly grotesque things. Being mixed up in fights with trolls, goblins, and gorillas practically guaranteed that. But what he saw as his leg nearly made him give a horrified yell, and he almost fainted for the first time in his life.

His calf was no longer skin and bones. It was _cloth_ and bones. _Cloth_. His black pants leg had actually melded into his skin below the knee. It was hard to see the distinction, but it was impossible to just not notice the point where his skin just stopped, and his calf was instead covered by skin tight black cloth- cloth that was rapidly becoming soaked through with blood.

He felt light-headed and physically ill. Artemis moaned in both pain and shock, and his bile rose.

_That's... not... right. _

In his stunned, agonized haze, Artemis remembered the warning he'd received when he'd first traveled back in time.

_I hope you like what color you're wearing, because there's a good chance you'll be seeing it for a long time afterwards. _

"Oh my god… oh, my god…" he gasped, and just kept staring, transfixed, at his deformed leg. "Oh… oh, my god. This isn't… oh, no… this isn't right. That's not right at all."

The pain increased dramatically and Artemis swayed, the dizziness once again taking hold and almost sending him straight into unconsciousness._ No- stop, stop! Focus!_ He was on a very strict schedule here, and if he fell unconscious and anyone at all came and found him, things would end very, very badly. He had to stay awake.

"Focus, focus, focus, focus, focus," he panted, five times, for good luck, voice a frantic, panicked little mumble. The voice had told him No1's previous warning had been just a precaution, that there was no real danger- how had this happened?!

_Well, maybe you shouldn't listen so much to the voices inside your head, _the snide part of him snarked back, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Now was _not_ the time to think like that. He was on a very tight schedule and didn't have time to think about how this had happened. Maybe the voice had just been wrong; time travel wasn't exactly tested and proven. Did it matter? No- all that mattered was that he take care of this properly- if there was even a proper way to fix something like this.

"Surgery," he muttered aloud, because speaking was helping him focus and keep calm, something he desperately needed right now. "I can just- just _cut _it off. It should be me underneath and not cloth. Right. My past self will have the tools I need right here in his lab. Anesthetic, gauze, and surgical knife. Five five five five five." He let out a low gasp again as he stood, this time carefully putting no weight on his bad leg. He recalled memories of almost ten years ago, struggling to remember just how he had had his lab organized through the blinding pain. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and searched in a panic, grabbing materials as he saw them, all the while running through the calculations in his pounding head.

"Five five five five five," he whispered again, his voice edging on a plaintive cry as he limped through his lab, searching for what he needed. This was the lab of an ten year old- one supervised by a father skeptical of the merits of his experiments and research, no less; it was far less cluttered and advanced than what he was used to, and almost easy to find what he was searching for. When he finally had all the supplies gathered in his hands, he made his way to a stainless steel table and, gritting his teeth, maneuvered himself so he was sitting up on it. It would make the mess easier to clean up, which was vital, since he didn't exactly have the time to hire a cleaning service.

Artemis injected his own leg with the anesthetic, still moaning and whimpering from the agony, and could barely force himself to wait into the medication began to take affect when he set about doing his own work. He held still through the anguish, the syringe in his hand gripped so tight his knuckles were white, and held his breath, hands actually shaking from the pain, as he waited for the drugs to take affect.

_Come on... come on... come on... _

_Please! Please, come on, please!_

_...And, there it is. _

Artemis slumped with relief when the pain was finally blanketed by a smooth cloud of numbness. He let his head drop in a brief moment of relaxation, tension unfurling, the syringe actually falling from his limp hand to the floor as a cocktail of relief and exhaustion assailed him like a physical blow.

So much work to do, and yet, so easily taken down by just the simple easing of pain.

_No wonder you were hearing voices. You clearly needed SOMETHING to self-discipline you._

Well, the voice wasn't here now, and that meant that force was going to have to be himself. Firmly shaking himself out of it, Artemis raised the knife to his leg, tapped it against his skin five times for good luck- and then sliced into his flesh.

He may not have been able to feel anything, but watching himself carve out a piece of his own flesh was not at all comforting. He almost gagged as he slid the knife underneath where his pants had become skin. "Oh good lord," he muttered under his breath. "That's not… that's not right at all. Five five five five five. That's not right at all."

He didn't have enough time to do a perfect job, but when Artemis had finally cut off all the cloth that had managed to become melded to his skin on his trip through time- revealing red, raw flesh underneath- Artemis dropped the knife with shaking hands and grabbed the gauze. He didn't have too long before the anesthetic wore off and was quite sure, when it did, he would be in a world of hurt- and he couldn't afford to be here when that happened.

At long last, his left leg had been half obscured by a bloody bandage, and the painkillers were still holding strong. Artemis took a moment to observe his shoddy workmanship, then just shook his head at himself and struggled to stand. He was wasting time. He could work more on that later; now, he had to get the hell out of this house.

Artemis hurriedly returned all of the materials back to where he'd found them, then continued to eradicate all signs of his presence here- namely, the blood. He'd wasted too much time already, but he already had the feeling that, when he returned three days from now, he would not have any spare time to spend on cleaning duties then. This mission had already gone awry, and he'd only been here ten minutes.

A ten year old Artemis Fowl's lab did indeed have the materials to clean up blood- and he wasn't sure whether or not to be disturbed by that or not- and he himself had had plenty of experience in the matter- again, not sure if he should be disturbed or not- so he made quick work of the situation.

Finally, Artemis stood back to survey his work.

The lab had been returned to its ideal condition once again. There was not a drop of blood to be seen, not a single tool was misplaced, and the entire room looked as if it had never once seen an intruder- certainly not a time-traveling one hellbent on changing the past.

No- the only sign of anything out of place was the remaining time tunnel.

Artemis's eyes lingered on the glowing spiral of purple and blue, the sparkling particles and the glowing path into the future, and then he turned staunchly away to leave the lab. If he was right, no one would enter this place until these three days were up, and the tunnel had disappeared.

_If I'm not, well... I'll have more to deal with in the future than tying up loose ends._

With one firm nod, Artemis stashed the anesthetic in his pocket for when he knew the pain would return, then finally turned and got to what should have been his first priority when he arrived- his mission.

It took Artemis much, much longer than he had previously theorized it would to erase his presence from the security tapes, steal a tuxedo from his father's closet, and escape the mansion with a sterile knife tucked away in his pocket. There were only servants to avoid- Butler, his younger self, and his parents being in London- but it remained imperative he not be seen. By the time he had stumbled far enough away from Fowl Manor to be considered safe, his illness had only grown worse, and his pain had only escalated. He was now limping heavily, his dark suit soaked in sweat, and he had to fight the urge to use the few sparks of magic remaining in him to heal his injury; it was crucial those remain for the success of his plan.

Finally, though, _finally,_ he was past the beginning stages of transition into the past. Injured and ill he may be, but Artemis was still finally ready to begin a plan three months in the making.

Artemis left Fowl Manor determined, stepping out into the cold winter air with barely a shiver and taking a moment to gaze around the past. He tipped his head back to look at the overcast sky of the eight years ago, heavy clouds the color of ash surrounding the manor and surrounding fields, leaving the barren winter landscape cold and dark.

This was his world before fairies. And this was how he was going to make it- permanently.

Artemis smiled grimly.

"Goodbye, Holly, and all you other fairy conspirators. It'll be just like we never met."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for reviewing, and hello from the happiest place on earth! This "educational" trip to Disney isn't very educational haha :D Oh, forgot to mention- Alex and Kensi from my fic Endings and Beginnings make appearances here. Doesn't matter if you're read that or not, but just thought I should say they are one and the same. Anyway, Artemis goes more cuckoo for cocoa puffs here, but this time in a canon way :) Enjoy!

* * *

September_ 13th, 2006, Police Plaza, Haven_

"Get an army of holograms ready, and shut down all transportation! _Now!_" Trouble barked. "I want everyone but those who have to stay here on standby on the surface!"

"Y-yes," Alex stammered, scribbling his every last order down as fast as he could while trying to keep pace. Trouble rolled his eyes in annoyance but kept running, his only focus the waiting shuttle that was his ride to the surface.

"And human satellites- take out anything that could pose a problem. I don't want any pesky Mud People looking down and seeing their city is deserted!"

"Got it-"

"And only send one person up there to do it," Trouble interrupted, already guessing what the lab rat's next question was going to be. "I want all man power on the surface and none wasted in space, kid."

"Only _one?!_ But- but, protocol says-"

"Are you really concerned with _protocol?!_" Trouble snapped, whirling to fix Alex with an incredulous glare that had the elf withering back and shaking his head frantically. "I've got a human city in a time stop. _There are no protocols for this!"_

Alex managed a weak, tremulous nod again, and Trouble turned away to focus on his path. "If you're that concerned about it," he continued, "send the girl who was working with you up there. She looked like she knew what she was doing."

There was the sound of scribbling, and then, more footsteps as Alex continued jogging after him. Trouble waited for a moment, and when it became obvious the elf had failed to get the hint, twisted back again and shouted, "_Now!_"

Alex scrambled away so fast there could've been a fire on his tail, and, shaking his head, Trouble turned away from the pitiful sight before redoubling his pace.

_Fowl... you better pray you're not responsible for this._

_Fowl Manor_

Being stranded in a time stop was never high on Holly's bucket list. Especially not a time stop of unknown origin, and _especially_ not in a crisis like this.

But here they were, a human, an imp, a centaur, and an elf, sequestered around the front hall of Fowl Manor caught up in the midst of a discussion- which was about all they could do right now. Gateways in the borders of a time stop between past and present had to be forged from the outside in- since they were stuck inside, until someone came for them, they were well and truly trapped.

As relocating to Artemis's lab could make it difficult for someone to find them, they were, for the time being, camped out in the front room with Foaly pacing back and forth, Butler standing as stiff and silent as a rock in the corner, poor No1 still trembling intermittently, and Holly slumped, numb and shell shocked, against the wall.

"It just doesn't make any sense!" Foaly was exclaiming, shaking his head back and forth, confusion mixed with urgency only too clear in his voice. "There's no way he should've been able to make a time tunnel! All of No1's power- it should've killed him. And, regardless, even if he found a way to stop his system from overloading from all of that energy, he never would've been able to just off and make a time tunnel! That kind of thing takes _skill_- genius or not, I don't care, Artemis just couldn't have done it!"

Holly frowned, the validity of Foaly's statements only too clear, even if she didn't understand the technicalities behind them. He was right. When Artemis had stolen magic in the time tunnel, his few attempts at using it had all been failures- lacking experience, any kind of formal training, and a natural aptitude that humans hadn't held in millennia, even Artemis had been left floundering. He had been more inept than the youngest fairy child- even his _mesmers_ had been almost pathetic. The idea of him managing to create a time tunnel- something even No1, a true natural, had trained for months to be capable of- wasn't merely improbable. It was ludicrous.

"Maybe we're thinking about this the wrong way," Butler suggested finally, drawing the rest of the room's attention. Foaly stopped his frantic pacing while Holly raised her head to look at him, somewhat hoping _he_ could be the voice of reason since she was certainly not able to and, well, they definitely needed one. The mountain of a man nodded to himself, then looked between the two of them and continued on. "Does it really matter all that much _how _Artemis did it? Even if we could figure it out it still wouldn't tell us anything! What about _why?_ Why would he just go into the past like this? There must be a reason behind it!"

_Oh, yes, of course; I thought Artemis made a habit of heading off into the past for absolutely no reason at all, _Holly thought bitterly. _Thanks for clearing that up for us._

Foaly seemed to be thinking along the same lines as her- except he was more vocal about it. "No shit, Sherlock," he grumbled under his breath, and Holly sent a chastising glare in his direction before Butler retorted as well.

"I get that answering how may be a lot easier than answering why, but it's not anywhere near as helpful," the bodyguard snapped. "And forgive me for not wanting to waste time when it could be Master Artemis's _life_ at stake!"

Holly sucked in an involuntary gasp. Foaly stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at him while she bit her lip hard to stop any further reaction- even as her heart almost skipped a beat. It hurt akin to a punch to the gut, to hear this put in such stark terms, and she couldn't help but flinch.

_Artemis's life..._

The terrible words rang in her ears, and they almost turned her stomach. She swallowed painfully as her nausea rose and shook her head harshly, nails digging into her skin in resistance.

It didn't mean anything about Artemis's life, because she wasn't going to _let_ it. End of story. They were going to figure out what the hell was going on and stop it.

Foaly, too, seemed to share her determination. In the dark, weighty silence after Butler's exclamation, the centaur had looked away, almost uncertainly, then nodded. His confidence looked fake- but the gesture was real. "You're right. I'm sorry, Butler. ...We'll move on to his motivation, and we'll figure something out. Now or any day is not the day when Artemis Fowl beats me, I can promise you that. Butler, Holly? You've had more interaction with him than I have. Have you noticed anything wrong? Because, _clearly_, there's something wrong that we missed."

_And Foaly just won the stating the obvious award from Butler,_ Holly reflected sourly. Of course there was something wrong with Artemis that they'd managed to miss. Again, unless he made a habit of jumping off into the past for no reason...

_The question is... what?_

Her thoughts stopped when Butler who broke the silence- overrunning it with words that managed to turn bad to worse.

"I didn't tell either of you this because Artemis forbid me to. But there's no choice anymore- I think we're far past the point of where I can defy his orders for his own safety." Butler looked carefully between Foaly and Holly, his expression certain but anxious, his eyes dark with worry. "Something's wrong with him- regardless of what he says about it." He shook his head again- this time, infuriatingly. "He's been sick. Badly. For _months_."

"_What?!"_

The bodyguard closed his eyes at the simultaneous exclamations in guilt. "Yes. I know. At first I thought it was something like the flu... but it never went away. It never got worse- but by the second week I was trying to give him ultimatums to force him into seeing a doctor."

"He's fifteen, for Frond's sake," Foaly retorted, gesturing vaguely. "Couldn't you have _forced _him to be examined?"

Butler gave him a flat look. "Did you forget who we're talking about here? Force Artemis? To do _anything?_ Are you being serious?"

The centaur looked away unhappily and Holly laughed without humor. The idea of even Butler being able to force their human friend to do something he didn't want to was beyond ludicrous.

With a rough sigh, the bodyguard continued on. "It's not as bad as it sounds- I kept a close eye on him and tested everything multiple times; there was no traces of any kind of poison. I spoke with doctors myself- they all said it mimicked a case of poisoning but there was nothing that fit. And, like I said, I kept an eye on him- Artemis tested himself, too. I think it's safe to say he's a better doctor than most- and he didn't find anything!"

"Wait- he tested himself too?!" Foaly quoted anxiously, and Butler looked at him in slight confusion.

"Yeah," he answered, shrugging. "So?"

"That means he'll have records of it- that's information we can use!"

Holly brightened, but Butler simply gave a morose scoff. "A bit late now..." he muttered under his breath, and Holly bit her lip again. Anything they did now was a bit beyond too late...

Foaly, however, was hearing none of that. "Giving up already, Butler? That's unbecoming of you. Come on. There's still time for us to fix whatever's happening here, and that means we're not too late. This is a good start. Holly? What about you- anything you can add?"

She frowned, looking away and searching through her memories of the past several months. Certainly, nothing as dramatic as what Butler was describing, but...

"He's started to sound strange on the phone," she began abruptly- her speech more stream of consciousness than anything planned. She stared blankly in front of her, unseeing; her mind lost in the past. The troublesome, uneasy memories were all rushing back at once and they just came tumbling out all at once- the dots now frighteningly easy to connect. "I mean- something was wrong with the way he was talking. His speech was... stilted, I guess. And that was when he would still take my calls. Now, he always ignores them and sends a message back saying that's he too sick or too busy to talk, and he never forgets to tack on 'please don't come to the surface to see me' on the end of it… that started over two months ago. I, uh... hadn't actually been face to face him in three months before today."

Foaly's eyes narrowed in what anxiety, or possibly, that could even be concern for their human friend. Holly swallowed and looked away. "I thought he was just being eccentric," she murmured, unable to meet their eyes. "It was strange, but... Artemis is strange." She shrugged weakly, then fought the urge to hide her face in her hands. Gods, could she sound any more pathetic? _You barely spoke to your best friend in three months- and the best you can come up with is strange?!_

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Holly. I screwed up a lot worse."

Holly looked cautiously to Butler- easily the last person she would expect to be jumping to her defense now- and was surprised to see that he looked worse than she felt. His eyes were empty- his expression the one in horror movies whenever they finally figured out who the killer was. The man shook his head slowly, and his speech was stiff and halting when he finally elaborated. "We've both missed something. It was obvious something was wrong and neither of us did anything- but that's not important now. We have to rectify it now."

Holly slowly started to nod back- Butler's words perhaps not what she wanted to do, but what she _needed_ to. He was right. Holly forced back her uncertainty, her regrets, into a tiny back corner of her mind and nodded back. The spilled milk of past mistakes wasn't worth crying over. It was time to take action.

Foaly nodded as well, his confidence clearly growing. "Good. This is good. Not as hopeless as before- we have somewhere to start. ...Wait a minute- why are we the only ones here? Shouldn't some of the other humans who live here have shown up by now?"

Butler shook his head. "Nope. Family trip to Vale; no one here besides us."

"Family trip? So why was Artemis-"

"He faked sick at the last minute and insisted they go without him. At the time, I thought it was just to get them out of here so he could carry out his 'experiment' with No1 in peace- now, though, I'm thinking he may have actually been sick."

Foaly sighed. "Well, at least there aren't any nosy humans about. We don't need more to deal with." A moment passed in silence, then he groaned in aggravation and directed a pointed glare at his watch. "D'arvit! Where on earth is Trouble?! What's _taking_ him so long to get here?!"

Butler raised an eyebrow in confusion. "We're... expecting him? ...Foaly, we never got in contact with him-"

"Doesn't matter; he knows what's happened already. He'll know about the time stop because one of the programs I helped set up to track past Opal monitored temporal currents on Earth. Any disruption would set up red flags, and let me tell you, this probably caused the entire system to crash. He'll know the location of the time stop, and something of this magnitude constitutes a crisis. They'll be working overtime just to get an army of holograms to populate Dublin, with all of its inhabitants stuck in the past, and shut down the roads leading to the rest of Ireland and the ferries from here to the UK." Foaly shook his head angrily and glanced back out the window again in search of their commander. "Fowl sure does know how to create a global crisis."

Butler groaned and rolled his eyes. "What are we supposed to do now, then? Just wait for your commander? What about Artemis?!"

Foaly shrugged, narrowing his eyes as he turned to peer out the window and scan the landscape, looking for any sign of the commander. "If Trouble has any brains at all, he'll be headed for Fowl Manor, and it won't take him long to reach us. As for Artemis… I don't have the slightest idea. I don't even know what's going on. So, he's sick. Okay, unless there are any other super special medicinal lemurs you two left behind on your last jaunt back in time, that doesn't give us anything helpful, like motive. _Why_ would he go back in time?!"

His demanding question was met by silence, Holly and Butler looking uncertainly at each other while No1 joined Foaly in watching for the commander. When it became apparent that the centaur was growing absorbed in his own thoughts, staring blankly out the window and not focusing on what was going on around him, Holly sat back against the wall and let her head drop into her hands.

Foaly's last question weighed heavily on her, and she found herself unable to shake off the hold it had on her. Why had Artemis gone back in time? What was he hoping to accomplish? Their last venture into the past had been deadly enough in consequences, and more than proven the risks were not worth any possible gains.

_And... why would he go by himself? Alone? Whatever he's trying to do- why wouldn't he trust us to help him?_

She didn't know. She didn't know anything about what was going on, what twisted thoughts were going through Artemis's mind and what kind of plans their human friend was concocting now. She didn't know how he had managed to open the time stream or how he had taken No1's magic. She didn't know anything at all.

As opposed to Artemis. Whatever he knew, he certainly wasn't sharing with them.

She closed her eyes tightly.

_Artemis... what were you thinking?_

There was a faint sound of footsteps, then, an excited kind of squeak that could only belong to No1, before the imp actually spoke. "Look!" he cried excitedly, and Holly wearily raised her head to look as he turned back to face them all and pointed emphatically back at the window. "Someone's coming! Someone's coming!"

Holly's eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet and hurried to look, Butler right on her heels and Foaly already there. They all followed his line of sight to see, sure enough, a fairy aircraft headed their way, so close to Fowl Manor they weren't even camouflaged anymore. They all stared at it for a moment, almost spellbound, before the mad dash for the door began, and they nearly bowled over each other in the rush to get outside.

It took only a few seconds for the craft to close the remaining distance, and Holly exchanged a nervous look with Butler while Foaly took a small step back so the others were in front of him. The shuttle came to a smooth stop in front of them, and Trouble jumped right out of it before the pilot even had had the time to land the shuttle on the ground.

For once, Trouble's complexion matched that of his famed predecessor. He was red as a tomato and actually shaking in fury, and while Foaly normally found such a sight comical and worthy of comment, even he remained quiet when the commander yelled, "_What did Fowl do?!_"

The entire group remained completely silent, and Holly watched the commander uncertainly, finding herself unable to reply but certainly not looking forward to his explosive reaction, either. When no one answered him, he shouted, "_I know he's behind this!_ There is a D'Arviting time stop over the _city of Dublin_, and I know that _he's_ behind this! _Where is he?!_"

They couldn't get away with standing silently this time, and, fortunately, after a long moment dragged by with nothing but Trouble's expectant fuming, Foaly decided to step up.

Unfortunately, he also chose the wrong moment to talk smart.

"…Heh... Actually, Commander, the correct question is 'when' is he. And the answer is, we don't know."

Holly really, really wanted to smack a hand to her forehead right then. She could've told Foaly that now, of all times, he should just give a straight answer. But he hadn't asked her, and now, Trouble honestly looked like he wanted to strangle him. His hands shook and his fingers twitched and contorted in such a way it was as if he was choking somebody's imaginary throat, and she didn't blame Foaly for taking a slow step to half hide behind Butler.

"Foaly, if you enjoy _living_, then _answer my question!_"

* * *

_December 5, 1998, Dublin_

It took Artemis a little over twenty minutes to reach Dublin, dressed in one of his father's suits to hide his leg and paying the cab driver with money he had stolen from his father's safe. Artemis Fowl Sr himself was in London, and would be for the next two weeks- well, perhaps not if he had any say in the matter.

He was limping and stumbling, looked a bit like a child playing dress up, with a line as wide as the Grand Canyon dividing the image he wanted to project and the image he actually was, but dredging up the motivation to care was beyond him. His hair was too long, his clothes were too big (and the fact that he had lost weight was certainly not helping matters), his skin was too pale, and he felt worse than he looked, but he was finally _doing something _about it, and that made him feel more satisfied than any changes to his physical appearance would.

Even so, no amount of confidence could forestall the coughing fit that overcame him for most of the drive, one that aggravated ribs that never seemed to stop aching anymore, and he ended up just pressing his forehead against the cool window as every lurch of the car left his head feeling as if it were being squeezed in a vice. He winced in miserable resignation, closed his eyes, and with one particularly violent cough that his left throat raw and his voice hoarse, gave up entirely on trying to suppress the symptoms and instead focused on just trying to endure them.

_Why? Why am I not healed yet? The voice said... they promised this would stop when I got here... I'm away from the fairy's influence- their magic can't touch me here- why?!_

Then he forced in a deep, shuddering breath, trying to stop his jangled nerves from panicking. Panic would do no good now. _No... no... no, stop. Don't react like this. It's okay, you're probably still just suffering from the aftereffects of the magic. It couldn't have filtered out of your system this quickly. Don't worry. You'll get better soon, you will. You will._

When the cab finally reached Dublin, Artemis was clutching his ribs as he passed the driver the fare, along with a hoarse, "Thank you." The cab driver looked at him like he was carrying some kind of infectious disease- which he probably was- and sped off, leaving Artemis standing alone on the side of the street in downtown Dublin.

He cast his gaze around the unfamiliar sights, the base landscape nearly just as he remembered but the landmarks unrecognizable. Artemis took a moment to gaze upon the culture of the city eight years in his past, struck by both the differences and the similarities, then just shook his head and turned away. He was not here to sight see.

A cold wind started up just as he began to walk down the street, stirring the white little dusty particles of snow down to gust gently down the street. Artemis turned his head up at the coolness and actually relaxed as soon as the refreshing air hit him, some of the ever present tension draining away at the immediate reaction he felt from the wind. His headache lessened, and the feverish heat that always burned within him now cooled immediately, as fast as water could douse a fire. He actually rolled up his sleeves to better feel the air and let out a grim smile. The fever that had been an almost constant symptom of his illness had resulted in Fowl Manor turning into a kind of hellish furnace for him, day in, day out, and walking down towards the water in wintery Ireland seemed to be doing him some good.

He drew a few odd looks when he pushed his sleeves up even farther and smiled when the wind just blew harder, but it didn't matter. While it was best to leave as small a footprint in the past as possible, Artemis doubted a strange man who seemed to enjoy the cold entering the picture now would have any impact on Dublin eight years from now.

While he limped down the street, Artemis found himself tapping again, his finger moving in a restless pattern of five against his leg. His awareness of it only made him tap faster; he needed all the luck he could get. At least today was the fifth of December. That was good; if today was the fourth, he honestly would've considered the idea of waiting to put his plan into action until the next day.

When he finally reached the docks, it was to find them almost deserted. There was nothing but slick patches of ice between him and black expanse of water that was his destination; the only sign of life was a fluttering sheet of trash that slowly danced across the asphalt. Artemis stood still for a moment, taking in the cold, lonely sight, then just shook his head again and turned to go in search of information on the next ferry.

_And if it's been canceled because of weather, so help me..._

* * *

As it turned out, the ferry had not been canceled yet, but he was in luck to catch the last one that wasn't. An upcoming snow storm had already gotten most people indoors and the ferry was only making more trip once more before it, too, was being shut down until the storm had passed.

Artemis decided to be grateful for at least that small bit of luck, and not annoyed that he did still have to wait an hour until his method of departure left. Which wasn't really that much of a problem, but he would prefer to get London as soon as possible. He'd already wasted too much time here and wasn't particularly eager to waste anymore, but it wasn't as if he had any kind of choice. So, after at last buying the ticket and thanking the vendor for his information, he went to go sit on a bench in the shade of a building and pretended to read an abandoned newspaper, somewhat glad for the slight distraction it brought. And he would've been perfectly content to stay there, tapping away, reading, and waiting-

But then he started to feel hot.

Much, much warmer than usual- and that was saying a lot, considering he almost constantly felt as if just wearing a suit was enough to burn him alive. He found his hands shaking as he reached up to feel his forehead and was surprised to find that he was sweating, even in the freezing weather. Artemis shifted uncomfortably and loosened his tie with a cough, then pushed up his sleeves again with suddenly slick palms. _This isn't good. Feeling hot is one thing, but sweating is another- especially in this weather. Something is wrong._

Just thinking that it wasn't healthy wasn't doing anything to help, though; he was positively burning up, his stomach was beginning twist painfully in the beginnings of cramps, and his headache, which had previously retreated because of the cold, was returning again full force.

_What's going on? I've never felt this sick before! _Artemis coughed again, then gasped as his vision blurred and his head swam. He suddenly felt very dizzy, and he leaned forward and closed his eyes, holding his head in his hands to try and reorient himself and calm his roiling stomach down. _Something. Is. Wrong._

The dock remained deserted, and so no one was there to see when Artemis collapsed.

* * *

When Artemis woke up, he had absolutely no idea where he was.

He was, though, fairly sure it was a hallucination, seeing as someone who looked exactly like him was leaning over him and smiling genially.

Artemis remained frozen, even when the man's smile broadened and he reached out to help him to his feet.

"Hello!"

Artemis stared.

His twin continued to smile brightly, and when Artemis did not reach out to take the proffered hand, he simply reached out to grab him by the hand and pull him upright. "I'm Orion. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Artemis's eyes widened. He blinked numbly at the strange apparition smiling before him, then took in the background and took a stumbling step back. He was in his office. He was standing in his office talking to himself. He had gone from downtown Dublin... to standing in his office... and talking to himself.

_I. Am. Insane._

"It's a pleasure... to make my own acquaintance," he quoted shakily, then managed an uneasy laugh and an even more uneasy smile. "I've bloody lost my mind."

Orion laughed heartily, and Artemis jumped at the sound. It was eerily foreign to hear such a loud, unrestrained, joyful noise coming from _his_ mouth; seeing himself laughing like that made no sense at all, and left him staring in even more confusion as the hallucination waved his hand as if physically pushing away his comment as incorrect.

"No, no. I'm not you; _Or-i-on._ If I were you, then you would have lost your mind, but I'm not, so you haven't. Well, maybe you have, but at least you're not talking to yourself, eh?"

"…What?"

Orion laughed again, then scratched his head and chuckled nervously. "You know, it is a great pity that we meet under such unfortunate circumstances. I really should have taken charge when you were possessed by the demons. But he was far stronger than me. I know, I know- a knight such as myself, admitting that a foe is stronger than he… but the fool has no conscience. He fights with no holds barred; one can not wage an honorable war against him."

Artemis didn't think he could have been more stunned than if Orion had hit him. He just stared blankly at him, slack-jawed, for a few moments, before shaking his head and forcing himself to think again.

_This isn't real. Trying to analyze it like it is isn't exactly going to help your questionable sanity._

Artemis turned to examine the office once again, more for the excuse to look away from Orion and focus on something else. His efforts, however misguided they might have been, _did _yield some new information, though- now that he was actually looking, he noticed this wasn't as exact a replica of his office as he might've thought. It was almost empty of clutter; while his actual office was full of books, files, papers, computers; everything conceivable that he could use, this room was devoid of everything that he remember. Shelves were empty, desks were bare; there was no anything. He turned again, and this time, his attention was drawn to the only addition to the room- a wide screen monitor mounted on the wall above his desk. Artemis blinked in surprise, then moved forward to examine it. The screen was on and displayed something- in fact... it looked like someone was filming their progress along the same dock he had passed out on.

"What is that?" he asked, taking another step forward to frown at it. "I must say, this is one odd hallucination…"

Orion sighed sadly. "The first real person I meet, and they don't even have the courtesy to believe that I'm real. However, to answer your question, that's where we're going."

"We?"

"Yes, we. You, me, and… him. The alters watch whomever's in control. I know this is your first time to not be king, but please, catch on quickly."

Artemis glanced at Orion, pausing at the odd phrasing and the possible implications. _Alters? Alters of what? _He looked at his twin for a moment longer before just sighing and returning his attention to the screen. It looked like he was headed towards the ferry. "_Orion,_ explain. What alters? Where are we? And who is in control, if I'm not?"

Orion sighed tersely. "The alters! You, me, and him are all alters that just inhabit the same vessel. We are, technically speaking, in your delusion. I don't know why I am forced to inhabit the same imagined office as you, but I am. While he is in control, you, by all rights, don't exist. And I've already answer your last question- _he_ is."

"Will you stop referring to him as _he_ and call him by his name?"

Orion shook his head and shuddered. "I'd rather not, if you don't mind. I see the two of us, Artemis, as friends, but that man is not my friend. In battle, he would sooner by an enemy than an ally. Stab you in the back and lick the blood off his knife, he will."

_...So, Orion is just as crazy as I am, then. Wonderful. Good to know._

"Um... elaborate?" was all he said aloud, since announcing he thought Orion was insane probably wasn't the best way to get more information, and his twin shook his head mournfully.

"I speak the truth, dear friend," Orion said with a slight bow. "I'm sure you won't have to wait long. He'll kill someone eventually, and we have a front row seat right here. I've always wondered what it would be like to ride a dragon and watch as they pillaged a village and kidnapped the princess- I suppose this is as close as I'll get, eh?"

Artemis turned to stare at Orion again, his eyes wide in confusion. Finally, he managed to say, "I don't have the faintest idea what you're rambling on about, but please, stop it. You're giving me a headache."

"Oh, that's not me. That's God."

"Excuse me?"

"The god who created… _him_. I was the only one, before God came along. I prayed to Him every day, and, in response, he weakened your mental defense for me. I would be king right now, if it weren't for that traitor."

"…I don't think I'm the only one who's delusional here."

Orion sighed. "Believe what you like, my friend. But God spoke to you every day, all the time, convincing you to do things you never would have otherwise. You wouldn't have been able to used such sorcery to come back in time, otherwise."

Artemis hesitated and frowned. _This fool's rambling nonsense, no doubt, but if this 'god' is the reason I came back in time… the voice gave me my motivation and made it possible. Perhaps he's deluded himself into thinking that the voice is a god._

_But that still doesn't explain what's going on._

_...And if this is real, and I'm not in control of my body, and Orion isn't- then who is?_


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for reviewing! Now we get a look into Artemis's head :) Enjoy!

* * *

_September 13th, 2006, Fowl Manor_

"It's not good news."

Trouble glowered at Foaly, who shifted nervously and took a small step back as if physical distance could protect him from the commander's wrath. "Well, it's not."

"Out with it, Foaly!"

"Okay, okay! My sensors indicate that the time stop will be in effect for what we will experience as… the equivalent of… four days."

Trouble coughed out a harsh exhale while Holly whirled around to stare at him in shock. "_Four days?!_" she gasped. "What do you mean _four days?!_"

"My sensors are not faulty!"

"Well, then _you're_ faulty- in the D'Arviting head!" Trouble shouted. "A _four day_ time stop that extends over almost _fifty square miles?!_ That's _impossible! _Do you hear me?! _Impossible!_ And it doesn't even make any sense- there are no time stop towers, no warlocks constantly powering it, no-"

"If you have _another_ explanation for what's going on, I would be glad to hear it! Do I have any takers? Any? Yes, I don't think so- _because this is a D'arviting time stop!_"

Trouble slammed his fist down on the table and gestured out the window to the shimmering azure bubble they could still see from Fowl Manor. "For once, I'm inclined to take Fowl's side over yours. There is _absolutely no possible way_ a _Mud Boy_, even one as smart as him, could do this! The amount of energy needed- it's astronomical! Where in Frond's name would he get so much magic?"

Foaly fell silent and looked away. His eyes were narrow in deep thought or reluctance, Holly couldn't tell which, but it was clear that he had no answer to the question posed now- the question that they were all thinking. "I don't know," he announced at last, glancing back up to meet their eyes again. "I don't have any idea. But don't question this, Commander: this is a time stop, and it's going to extend for a period of four days over Dublin- unless we can somehow find what's powering it and shut it down."

Trouble sighed, aggravated, and took a moment to think before replying. He paced around the room, clearly anxious, before he shook his head firmly and turned back to the table. "Us complaining about how impossible this is will not change anything. I can't stay here; I have to deal with the possibility of such a large population of people being stuck in the past for so long. There aren't many officers to spare, so it'll be just you four finding out how exactly Fowl pulled this off and what he's looking to do now in the past."

"Two problems with that, Commander. Your first- the humans can't fall asleep in the time stop. That'll create a huge crisis when it ends- 'no sleeping spell' cast over Ireland will be headline news. And, since I'm guessing Artemis isn't roaming around in the present- outside of the time stop, I mean- or you would have found him and strangled him, the time stop must be preventing him from coming back into our time. We'll have no way of talking to him until he returns four days from now, and until then, we have _no way_ of figuring out his motivation unless we can talk to him!"

"Well, you had better suggest something, Foaly, because we're too focused on stopping anybody from getting into the city to find it deserted outside of the time stop. As for the humans underneath it, my plan is to leave them there and let them all collapse in exhaustion when the time stop ends. Other than a mass operation to somehow coerce millions of Mud Men to be herded like cattle out of the time stop without leading to any questions or raised eyebrows, there's no choice. As for him being trapped in the past- that's not a problem. That's good; means _you_ have four days to find out what's going on- which you _will_ do. I don't care how hard it is, there's something here that'll tell us what he's planning. And I expect-" Trouble cut himself off, frowned, then swiveled away from Foaly to address Holly instead, as if thinking better of his idea to trust Foaly with this responsibility. "And I expect updates, Captain. _Regular D'arviting updates._"

And then, with one last expectant look around at the four of them, the commander turned and left the room, leaving them standing alone with no one but themselves and this new momentous task for company.

It only took a good few seconds, Holly thought it was, before Foaly started to complain.

"Is that man serious? 'There's something here that'll tell us his plan'; it's _Artemis Fowl_. He's anything but careless!" Foaly snapped. "I bet he'll have meticulously cleaned up every last crumb of evidence. There's _nothing left to find_. But noooo; we're just supposed to wave our magic wand here and find some scrap he just miraculously missed..."

Foaly's grumbling- no matter how correct it was, she thought with a sinking heart- only served to aggravate Holly even more. He was right, she _knew_ he was right; knowing that, however, and hearing that there was just nothing that they could do-

Those were two very different things.

_...Don't think like this. Just DON'T. Thinking that there is no hope won't result in anything. _

_We're going to figure out what Artemis was thinking and get him back. There is no other option._

"Don't say that, Foaly," she intoned, and her voice did come out as a determined rather than hopeless, a fact which filled her with only more certainty. "If you talk like that, then that means there's just nothing that we can do. There _has_ to be something that we can do. Artemis isn't just any old case; he's our _friend_. And I'm not going to give up without even trying. I'm not about to give up at all."

Foaly opened his mouth, then shut it again. He looked back at her sadly, almost regretfully, then turned his head to the side and lowered his eyes. "...You're right. You're right, Holly- I'm sorry. Maybe Artemis thought he took care of everything- but we know him. I'm sure we'll be able to find something that no one else would. After all- anything Fowl can do, I can do better, right?" He made a weak attempt at a chuckle and shrugged. "He's not about to best me now. If he thinks he can erase evidence, then I'll just have to look deeper than he thought anybody could."

His eyes met hers again, and he smiled at her, this time with a firm nod that belayed his true intention was to comfort her with his words- that he didn't truly believe them.

_But he's going to try. And that's the best I'm going to get, isn't it? _

"I-is... is this an opportune moment to inject the human phrase 'that's the spirit'?"

No1's timid suggestion broke the somber spell like a knife through hot butter. Foaly's confident facade slipped into a startled grin, and Holly felt a minute amount of the coiled tension unfurl as she let her head drop and move in an amused shake.

Even Butler had to smile at No1's comment. "Yes, and perhaps a thesaurus," he chuckled, and the little imp just stared up at them all in confusion; Butler appeared to take that as his cue to move. "Come on. Standing here talking is a waste of time; let's go to his study. That's where he spends most of his time nowadays, if he's not in his lab. If there's any kind of a trail to follow, it'll start there."

"It's as good a place to start as any," the centaur agreed, and promptly began to trot after Butler, who was by no means moving slowly, then continued on. "Well, anyway- as long as we're in the mood of making progress- there's been something bothering me about the machine Fowl built."

"You mean besides what it did?"

"Yes, Holly, I do mean besides what it did. It- and Opal referred to _it_, so imaginatively, 'as The Suction'- was thoroughly fairy in design. I don't think Artemis _could_ have built it."

Butler sighed in exasperation. "Are you forgetting he's a genius? Wasn't he the first one in to figure out how to escape your time stop? If he can outwit your technology, surely he can build it himself."

"You misunderstand, Butler. I'm not doubting his capabilities, but his style. Artemis wasn't born and raised in fairy society, as Holly and I were. When I build a machine, I use magic readily. The specs I've recovered from his computers- they all rely more on electric power than something you would ever see from a fairy's machine. We rely more on nuclear power and magic, as did Opal's Suction. Using electrical power for it would simply be impractical; do have any idea how much energy that would take?"

Holly groaned. "No, Foaly," she deadpanned, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "why don't you tell us and waste even more time?"

Foaly groaned himself. "The point is, he _couldn't_ have used electrical power. But he couldn't have used magic either- where would he get a supply of it? That only leaves nuclear- but, come on. Nuclear power would be hard for even him to come by. It would be ridiculously expensive and I would have noticed something."

"Oh, right, because even through you 'trust him', you still keep an eye on him."

"Butler, you and I both know he does the same to me. Point is, it would have been impossible for him to get a nuclear battery. Government's monitor that market very closely, whether they admit to or not, and it would have been expensive enough that even someone as rich as he is would have second thoughts about buying it. The Suction took so much energy that even Opal ran short of funds- one of the reasons she never got around to building it- and nuclear power is much cheaper in our world than his."

Holly sighed. "So, what you're saying is, not only do we have no idea what's going on, but not even _you_ understand how Artemis pulled it off?"

"...I wouldn't put it that way, but yes. When we're done in his study, I need to take a look at that machine and see just what Artemis is doing to power it. Whatever it is, it's illegal, but it could help give us a clue to his reasons for going back in time."

"Yes, well, his study could do that also," Butler interceded, and, with that, turned the final corner and pointed down the hallway to the door awaiting them. "Here we are. Come on." He led the way forward, hand fiddling in his pocket for a moment before he withdrew a key and inserted it into the lock, tried to turn it, then frowned when it did nothing more than jiggle in the door knob. He tried to turn it again, then withdrew in shock. "He... he changed the locks?"

Holly's eyes widened, and she looked between Foaly and Butler in a numb surprise. Yes, Artemis had more reasons to be paranoid than most, but changing the locks? The security in the manor was so tight the only people who would get this close to his study were his friends and family- and anyone who got past all the security to _this_ point would be far too competent to be taken down by a simple keyhole. What possible reason could he have for changing the locks here, of all places?

"...Damn it," Butler muttered under his breath, withdrawing from examining the lock and turning back to the others. "This is expensive- almost certainly professionally done; I can't pick this without more tools." They were all silent for a moment, reflecting on just why Artemis would go all out for _this_, of all things, before the manservant shook his head and turned back to the door. "Can't be helped, I suppose," he announced, before ramming a shoulder into the wood.

No matter how tightly it was locked, very few doors could withstand a man like Butler trying to knock it down, and this was not one of them. It crumpled in without protest, and Butler led them all inside without wasting a single more moment.

And the scene waiting for them left them shocked.

Anybody who knew Artemis knew he was organized. Neat. Probably with a touch of OCD. A mess hindered efficiency, and anything that hindered efficiency had to go- Artemis would _never_ allow his workspace to fall even a hair out of place.

Never mind the disarray that it was now.

Papers were thrown haphazardly across the floor and desk. A laptop was buried underneath a pile of blueprints and books- tiny Holly could barely take a step without accidentally trampling on a folder. There was a messy stack of files shoved into the corner, as high as twice No1's height and looking about to topple at any moment. Bookshelves were either empty or in disorder, some of their contents lying open while others had fallen to the floor and lay abandoned in a careless display of indifference.

The entire room lay in shambles, and Artemis's friends were left staring in numb, mute shock.

Somehow, Artemis had still managed to surprise them.

It was Foaly who took a tentative step forward, prodding the mess with a hoof like it might explode if touched wrong. Holly followed him next, reaching out to gingerly poke at stack of files. She was almost surprised when it didn't fall to worsen the mess at just that small prodding. "Any chance that a tornado ripped through here and we just didn't hear it?" she managed, turning again to look at the chaos. _This is ridiculous... _

"I haven't been in here in several weeks- but I never guessed… oh my god." Butler nudged a file with his foot and looked down at the others. "I don't know what he was doing. I thought everything was normal… it looks like somebody ransacked the place."

"If I didn't know better, I'd said Artemis did this to try and make it harder for us to figure out what he was doing. But there are a dozen different ways he could have done that without turning the place into nothing more than a sea of paper," Holly pointed out. "He could've just burned everything."

"...Or he _did_ burn everything and nothing in here is related to what we're looking for, and he's screwing with us."

Everyone turned to glare at Foaly.

The centaur, who had been looking through a stack of papers in his hands, stilled at the attention and gave a nervous grin. "What? It's just a thought."

The other three groaned, and Foaly gave a sheepish shrug again before turning back to his finds, leaving them to look back at the utter disaster area that he just so kindly pointed out there might be nothing in at all.

With a collective sigh, they stepped into the mess, still resolved to finding at least _something_ that would help them understand why Artemis had gone back in time- even if there was nothing here to find. Foaly set about examining the blueprints and trying to hack into Artemis's laptop, Butler and Holly began looking through the papers, while No1 was still just trying to get his strength back after it had quite literally been sucked out of him not too long ago.

Aside form Foaly's constant grumbling under his breath, no one spoke until Holly lifted a thick folder out of the way and when she stepped in its place, she found herself balanced on something that was not the floor. Frowning, she moved back and shifted a few other now wrinkled pages aside to find whatever it was she had stepped on- and, there it was. Grinning, she lifted the fairy communicator ring into the air, glad to have at least had some success at this previously worthless search. "Hey, I've got something!"

The others stopped their search, turning to look at her and her discovery. Foaly's expression brightened at the sight while Butler frowned and reached out to examine her finds himself. "That's odd. Since you gave it to him, I don't think I've ever seen him take it off."

"Well, see what's on it. Artemis probably took it off because he knew he was going through the time tunnel," Foaly said with a self-explanatory shrug. "There's no telling what would happen if he got reassembled incorrectly and the ring materialized in his liver."

Holly winced at the mental image and glared at him. "Foaly, that couldn't happen."

"Oh, yes, it could. And Artemis knew that. No1 warned you and him about that when you traveled back in time a few months ago. But that's beside the point. I'd like to see what, if anything, is on here."

Butler scoffed while Foaly began scrolling through the ring's contents. "Artemis isn't that stupid. If there was anything important on that ring, he would have deleted it or hidden it somewhere, not just left it sitting out in the open."

"Well, we also thought Artemis wasn't the type to head off into the past for seemingly no reason, and look where that landed us."

Butler fell silent while Foaly fiddled with the ring for a few more moments, then announced, "I'm accessing the last file edited. It's a video file titled 'Day 59.' Enabling hologram, and… voila."

Moments later, a holographic image of Artemis himself emerged from the tiny ring.

He was standing in his study, and it was just as much as a mess as it was now. After activating the ring, Artemis stepped back, giving them a full image of his person, and it didn't look any better than the disheveled version that had greeted them earlier today. The grainy image wasn't the best for anyone's complexion, granted, but he was white as paper here, and the black, actually unruly hair only served to heighten the contrast. There were dark, pronounced rings under his mismatched eyes, and the slumped set of his shoulders, the slightly glazed look of his eyes, the usually tight control he held over his expression now lax- all of it bespoke of a heavy cloak of exhaustion that swathed his presence completely. He brought his thin arms up and crossed them over his chest, moving back to hitch his hip up on his desk and lean against it.

Slowly, but with the strict pattern of a long established ritual, the index finger of his right hand began to tap against his arm. It moved five times, then paused.

And without any further preamble, he began.

"Fifty nine days since I started hearing voices."

Holly's mouth dropped open in mute shock.

His speech was blunt, his words were flat, and his expression was blank. Artemis looked, for all the world, like he was just announcing the most normal, boring fact possible; he could've been saying the sky was blue for all indication his expression gave. He'd delivered the information with less gusto than any of his normal mind numbing lectures, for gods' sakes- and this was the only time when he'd managed to dumbfound her.

"Well, _a_ voice, really," he elaborated needlessly with a slight smile. "Not multiple voices, just the one. I suppose it doesn't matter; the descent into insanity is the same either way." Artemis laughed without humor, and his tapping increasing in intensity while Holly grew more and more alarmed. "Insanity, heh... you know that I'm sorry, but I can't simply trust you completely- you _are_ a voice in my head. The fact that I'm going through with this plan is proof enough that I trust you more than I doubt you; there's no reason to worry- I'm going through with it. Speaking of which- tomorrow is the day." Artemis smiled uneasily, reaching up with one hand to scratch the side of his head, then coughed slightly. "I'm still not sure if it's right. It's the _correct _choice, of course- but that doesn't mean it's _right_. And any psychologist would say that doing what the voices tell you to do is a bad idea- but-..." Artemis cut off abruptly, almost as if he'd been interrupted, tilting his head to the side as if listening to something, and then, slowly started to nod. "Yes, yes," he murmured, and Holly's alarm rose sharply, climaxing into outright horror. "You do still make a valid point. It's... _safer_ this way, I suppose."

Then he stumbled on nothing. Out of completely nowhere, his legs trembled and suddenly gave out from under him, and he only barely caught himself on the side of his desk, before he hit the floor. His other hand grasped tight at his side, fingers curling tight around his rib, and he gave an abrupt hiss of pain when his expression contorted. He panted hard for breath, lowering his head and letting out one ragged gasp after another. One, two, three, four, five, and then, like clockwork, he raised his head sharply to look up once more. His mismatched, pained gaze pierced into the camera, accusing and furious- expression abruptly twisted, haggard; wracked with indecision, regret, and suffering- and Holly was struck dumb by the sheer rawness of such emotion displayed on _his _features. It was beyond foreign to her to see him in the throes of anything but the slight hint of smugness he always possessed, or the apathy, or serious manner of a businessman- but for Holly to see him looking like _that_...

It was unnerving. Unnerving and... and... _horrible._

"T-The fairies are doing this," he panted once the onslaught of illness was over, and his eyes were the slightest bit wild and desperate. "They're behind this; they're the ones making me sick. I- I can't... I can't do this anymore! It's _impossible. _Right way, wrong way, it d- doesn't matter- I have to do it! I can't take being like this anymore. You're right. You're right. God, you're right. This is the only way. Whatever it takes- whatever it t-takes is necessary."

Holly stared at her friend's image in complete and utter shock.

_We... we're making him sick? _

_WHAT?! _

Artemis closed his eyes and released a sigh colored with honest regret, and maybe just a bit of desperation, too, and he reached up to finger the golden coin hanging around his neck. His long fingers slowly formed around the tiny piece of metal, twisting the chain, and her eyes widened.

_That's the one I gave him- after... _

Artemis played with it as if he didn't even realize what he was doing, slowly, absentmindedly turning it five times in one direction, then the other, all the while staring dully in front of him, clearly lost in thought. He only released it when he coughed slightly and reached up to cover his mouth by habit, then wiped at his clammy appearing forehead instead. "One thing," he continued on, his voice softer now, resigned and miserable, "that I know for certain: I can't remain this sick forever. It's taken it's toll on me; my physical body can not withstand it. And if the fairies are the reason I have contracted this godforsaken illness…" Artemis trailed off, then abruptly doubled over and clutched at his stomach- the erratic motion of his arms sent a neatly stacked pile of folders toppling to cascade over his desk, and the discord went unnoticed as he let out a pained yell when his expression twisted in agony. "Stop it!" he gasped, bringing his hands up to clasp them over his ears. "Stop talking! I know, I know! I know what I have to do! Stop talking! You're _making it worse!"_

The room remained unearthly silent, but as if he still expected his office to erupt into sound, Artemis continued to hold his hands over his ears. He just kept on crouching there, hands clasped tightly over this ears and eyes shut, hunkering down through a silent aural assault. When at last he cautiously lifted his hands to listen, his features dropped in a dramatic relief when whatever he was waiting for did not occur, and he slumped in apparent exhaustion. Artemis sighed again, leaning over as if the weight of the world sat on his shoulders, and sat on the edge of his desk, bringing his hand up over his face. "To be sure, if anyone ever finds this recording, I'll look insane," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than the camera, and he shook his head in slow resignation. "...Not that I'm entirely positive I'm not."

Artemis sighed again and slowly lowered his hand, revealing the face of an exhausted child, with sad, tired eyes and skin so pale he looked dead. He just looked blankly at the camera for a moment, then slowly stood with a wince- shifting like every tiny motion hurt.

"I ought to get some rest. I'm tired enough as is, and I'll need all my strength these next three days. …However, if something goes wrong, and I don't make it back into the present, I'll still have prevented this from ever happening aga-" Artemis choked off his speech like someone had wrapped their hand around his throat, letting out a surprised gasp and eyes widening as he doubled over with another low cry of pain. He coughed hard into his hand for several moments before he finally leaned back against his desk, breaths slow and ragged. When he could finally speak again, his voice hoarse and weak; gaze, unfocused. "Perhaps I need more rest than I realize- even if sleep has only seemed to provide an escape for these accursed symptoms rather than a cure for them." He twisted and untwisted the necklace five more times before sighing again.

"If I'm able to watch this after tomorrow, and I hope that I will be- this is for your benefit. If you'll pardon a cultural reference, good luck and good night, five times over. I think I'll need it."

Foaly, Holly, Butler, and No1 were left stunned, staring, and shocked as the hologram disappeared. No one was able to speak for a good few seconds, still blinking at the spot where holographic Artemis had been pacing and ranting, mute and horrified.

Finally, in a voice that was trembling, worried, and above all else, stunned, Holly managed, "What the _hell _was that?"


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for reviewing! As wished, more crazy Artemis. Short chapter. But quite a pivotal one- and one of my favorites :) Enjoy!

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_December 05, 1998, somewhere between Dublin and Liverpool_

A cold breeze gusted over the dark waters of the sea. Tiny snowflakes fluttered along the air, the white particles dropping into the black below as if the life had been sucked right out of them when the wind faltered, leaving them to get lost in the building waves below.

Hecate raised a gloved hand, allowing some of the soft whiteness to get caught on the black leather. They looked odd there, tiny little dots of brightness in an otherwise grey, monochrome world. He raised one delicate eyebrow, observing how a stubborn few clung to the leather, refusing to be abandoned to a miserable death in the cold water or to melt against the glove. Hecate splayed his fingers, frowning at the anomalies.

_So few, and yet, so stubborn. They cling to life like parasites, attaching themselves to the first stronger being they can find... and they live on. _

_How interesting. _

Hecate delicately ran his hand along the ship's railing, forcing the little flurries to fall from the chilled cloth to the even colder metal, where the wind captured them again.

_And how utterly irrelevant, when the host is not willing. _

Hecate leaned over the railing, bracing himself against it as he shifted to peer out into the watery expanse of his surroundings. The black river was too rough to reflect the overcast sky above, revealing instead nothing but an impenetrable abyss below. It was one of infinite possibility, and he nodded appreciably, finding himself almost entranced in the myriad of paths splayed out before him.

Another snowflake drifted down towards the writhing mass of water, and he watched as it got sucked in to its inevitable demise. So many were soon to follow its fate, and he had to smile at the parallelism.

_I have so many enemies here... but they are small and insignificant, when compared to my advantage. They're unsuspecting and foolish, and my opportunities, my choices, they are infinite. I have every possible advantage. _

_Artemis and Orion do pose a problem... but a minor one. Temporary- and with a permanent fix, I'm sure..._

Hecate watched as, along with the snow, a leaf drifted along the twisting breeze. It was brown and dead already, simply along for the ride, and was helpless to resist when one of the low black waves crested up to catch it in its icy grip. Within moments, the leaf had been crushed, and it disintegrated into nothing more crumbling twigs.

He smirked.

_Are you watching, Artemis? Orion? You should be. For you are the insignificant little twigs to be crushed in my ocean of power. _

The remains of the leaf were carried away by the current until nothing was left but frothing black once more.

Hecate turned, digging chilled hands into his pockets, and turned his mind from metaphor and nature's illustration of fate towards more practical veins of thought. He found himself looking over the almost deserted deck of the ferry, searching for threat or possible opportunity, only to find it devoid of either- except...

He narrowed his eyes.

_There... that shimmer in the air- is that- ?_

Hecate gazed at the abnormality for a moment, nonplussed, before the triumphant smirk still tugging at his features widened into a genuine grin.

_Ah, thank you, fate. A splendid opportunity- and I was just getting bored, too..._

He turned to fully face the approaching shimmer, watching as it danced and wavered throughout the air before coming to a shuddering stop just on the edge of the ferry. It wavered a bit more, moving away from the head of the boat to where only Hecate could see it, out of sight of any other passengers, and he continued to wait in patient confidence for the wavering mirage of invisibility to dissipate.

When the illusion vanished, so did any lingering vestiges of insecurity.

He had every right to be confident. For this task before him now was child's play compared to the havoc he could wreak; this, _this_- this was hardly more than a simple warm up.

It was just a woman. No, not even that- a _child_; small and unassuming, no weapon in sight, and her eyes- her eyes, filled with something akin to _pity_.

She didn't even take him to be a _threat!_

It was laughable.

The creature approached him hesitantly, wet clothes clinging to her thin, small frame and dripping all over the deck, pair of mechanical wings on her back soaked through and appearing to be barely functional. A step later and she had whipped her helmet off to reveal red hair plastered to her skin, eyes watching his every movement warily- but not warily enough. Her hands were spread, as if to show him she was unarmed, and the notion wanted to make him laugh. What? Was he supposed to believe that, even with a weapon, this girl could pose a threat to him?

"Artemis," she called, and her hoarse voice was almost lost to the wind. "Artemis, it's okay. It's just me."

_...Artemis? _

A stab of aggravation hit him hard, and he felt his smirk fade into something more angry than triumphant.

_Heh. Artemis. Of course; that name owns this body of mine now. Spineless rat. _

_By the time I'm through, no one will even remember him. _

The woman continued on, seeming to take his changing expression as a sign for concern. "Don't run! I didn't come here to do anything but talk to you, I promise."

_Don't run? As if. Why should I run from you? You're the one who should be running. _

"We know why you came back to the past- why you think you have to. We know about the voice, and the numbers, and- it's not what you think, okay? We can help. I know you don't think you can trust us, but just let us help you- we weren't responsible for what you think we are!"

Hecate wanted to laugh again. _If this gets any easier, the challenge of it will be gone entirely. _"Ah," he murmured vaguely, effectively cutting off her frantic speech with hardly more than a monosyllabic grunt. She shut her mouth and gazed up at him with wide, pleading eyes, and Hecate pushed himself off the railing entirely to face her. "I see. The problem is that I can't trust you, yes?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and Hecate reached out to take her hand. She flinched slightly but did not pull away, and he turned the fragile thing delicately in his grasp, examining it curiously. _So simple to break, like glass... so very, very simple..._

"...Artemis?"

His gaze darkened into a glower, hand tightening over hers at the name, grip now hard enough to hurt. She flinched again but he did not relent, the anger rising up again.

_That coward... _

_Using my body for his purposes, his name attached to my accomplishments-!_

Rather than letting the surge of anger taint his features again, he turned away, pulling her by the hand to join him at the railing. He nodded out at the black, shifting expanse before them, and the girl stayed stock still by his side, following his line of sight.

"You know, they say the water is lovely this time of year."

He turned to face the girl with a disarming smile, now, to find her eyes had widened at the abrupt change of topic, but she still let him hold onto her, still trusted him enough to watch him in confusion rather than distrust, concern rather than suspicion.

_And that, my dear, is a foolish mistake indeed._

"People have died in it."

The morbid thought shocked her, certainly, but Hecate still waited until the open surprise had just began to transform into something akin to horror before his hand tightened around hers once more, this time into a grasp as inescapable as iron, and he lifted her into the air.

His arm was far longer than hers, and no matter how much she kicked and struggled, it didn't impact his ability to hold her out over the channel with ease.

"Artemis!" she cried, and her eyes still showed alarm and panic rather than hate or anger. It was a peculiar thing, and he shook his head at her foolishness even as she called out the name again. "_Artemis! Stop!"_

"I wonder how you'll fare?" he continued despite her pleas, peering out to gaze at the black below once again. "You're so small... and you may be able to fly, but wings won't help much down there. And even the strongest swimmers have had to be rescued from such waters during winter-"

"Artemis! Stop! I'm not here to hurt you- I just want to help! I can _help you,_ Artemis! _Artemis!_"

And with that last cry, her voice multiplied as if to become that of a chorus, shuddering with the weight of power, and her eyes sparked to shine with electric blue light. Hecate faltered, finding himself drawn to that warm pull rather than the watery death awaiting below. His mouth was already open to continue speaking, but now, he couldn't quite remember what he wanted to say.

"_Artemis. Stop. Put me back on the ferry now." _

And he almost did. He almost did just as asked, almost turned to deposit the little girl back where she wanted to be-

But her words were not perfect. As minute as the mistake was, it was there.

The fault of the command, the only reason he did not immediately comply, was that it was addressed to the wrong person. And that name, it sparked a memory that kept him grounded and sane.

The memory was Artemis's, without a doubt, the suspicion it conjured up innate in the alter, one that he had yet to cultivate. There were those he should not look in the eye, lest he fall under their power and every whim. There were those who could capture his will with a mere glance... those that he should not trust...

_Mirrored contact lenses! _a distant voice seemed to shout, but Artemis's warning was worthless, now, come far too late.

"_Put me back on the ferry right now, Artemis. Now!" _

_No, no..._ he shook his head desperately, fighting to escape from the pull that voice, those _eyes_ had on him, that beauty and mystery, the intrigue, the wonder, the...

_Last resort- close your eyes! _

Hecate did.

The moment his world was cloaked by darkness, the woman's power vanished. His head cleared, his breath quickened, and his grip around her wrist tightened. Hecate grinned at the sudden clarity, and he swung around to hold the still struggling girl out over the water.

"_Artemis Fowl, put me down this instant!"_

The command was persuasive, but without the wondrous power of those eyes, its effect was cast aside easily. It used the wrong name, anyway, and meant nothing when compared to his iron will.

_Thank you for the warning, Artemis. You may very well have just saved all of our lives. _

"You seem to have made two grave mistakes. Would you like to know what they are?"

"_Artemis! Stop!"_

The voice was less enticing now, though, the vibrating power fading to be replaced by a frantic desperation, and this amused him now even more than ever before. He felt the wrist in his grip grow hot, and the heat intensified until it almost burned him. He risked cracking one eye open to see a thin, shimmering film of blue glowing on the woman's hand. The heated sparks had migrated down to her wrist and around his hand, the temperature permeating even through his glove, and the pain left him more intrigued than hurt.

"_Artemis!" _

Hecate grinned.

"Your first mistake," he continued without heed for her furthering attempts to escape, "was to trust me. I'm not someone to be trusted."

The heat grew, and he simply took a step further, holding the woman out even more over the water. He felt her kick and thrash, and, like the pain, the attempts were more interesting than infuriating, and he had to smile.

"Your second mistake was to assume that I was Artemis. I am nothing like that spineless fool, and for you to believe that I was led to you hanging out above the water."

There was a high-pitched gasp, and Hecate nodded appreciably. _Good. Now you begin to understand the true depths of your error, to ever even compare me to him. _

"My name is not Artemis. Understand that. Now, I think it fitting, as you are about to die, for you to know the _actual_ name of the person who is responsible for killing you. Don't you agree?"

The girl kept up the squirming, the struggling, which only intensified when he began to loosen his grip- and she was in no position but to fall. The heat grew so strong he felt the leather of his glove began to melt, and his grin widened at the feel of it to swallow his entire face.

"My name is Hecate."

And then he let go.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for reviewing!

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September_ 13, 2006, Fowl Manor_

Foaly grumbled to himself as he paced around the machine in a stubborn search for the power source. "Knew he was smart. Didn't realize he was a sadistic son of a bitch, though. D'Arvit, _Where_ is all of this energy coming from? I swear, I-"

"Who exactly are you talking to?"

Foaly frowned at the newcomer's voice and turned to glare at Holly, who was standing in the doorway to Artemis's lab and watching him with a raised eyebrow. He sighed. "Are you going to be helpful, or just make snide comments about my work habits?"

"Someone's in a bad mood today."

"_Yes_._ I _am in a bad mood. I'm surprised you're not. I've been working for over an hour and have yet to find just where this machine's power is coming from. It's not electric, because then the thing would be D'Arviting huge. It's not nuclear, because my sensors aren't picking up any signs of radiation and they're sensitive like you wouldn't believe; Artemis could put them behind a lead wall ten meters thick and my babies would still pick them up. It can't be magic for obvious reasons, and unless he's got a mutant giant hamster running on a wheel somewhere around here, kinetic's out… Thermal; this room would be so hot if it would've spontaneously combusted... I just don't know where all this power is coming from." Foaly shook his head and stood, slapping the machine as he did so for emphasis. He shook his head again, this time trying to clear it and focus on something else, before turning to look at Holly. "Well, I think it's obvious I'm having no luck. What about on your end? You get anything out of the rest of the video diaries?"

Holly's serious expression wavered, as if the mention of them had reminded her of why she was there, and the elf gave a slow, almost hesitant nod. "Uh, yeah. We did. ...Enough to keep a roomful of psychologists busy for a month."

"He's crazier than we thought, huh?"

Holly frowned. "I'm serious, Foaly. This isn't a joke… I honestly don't have any idea how we missed this for so long."

He sighed and looked between her and the machine for a moment. _Well... if I stay here, Artemis will probably just continue to stump me- I might as well go and see what Holly found. Should provide some insight, if anything_. "Well, then show me what you found out. I'm making no progress here, so maybe this will shed some light on the situation."

Butler shook his head from where Foaly could see him leaning up against the wall in the lab's observation room, still gazing at a hologram of Artemis hover in mid air from where they had paused the playback. "I don't know about that. Holly and I just spent over an hour and half watching all of these and we're only more confused than before."

"It only took you an hour and a half to watch fifty nine entries?"

Holly shrugged. "Well, there weren't entries on every day. There were hardly more than twenty. We'll just show you the highlights; they're much the same and just get more disturbing the more you watch. Here's the first one we found." Holly fiddled with the ring before moving back to sit on a table. "Sit back and watch and remember, no refunds. You wanted to see our friend's descent into madness, so that's what you're going to get."

And with those chilling words, the hologram shuddered, changing slightly, outlines blurring and shifting to finally reveal Artemis again- an entirely different Artemis than the one they had watched leave the present just such a short while ago.

It wasn't until he actually looked at the old Artemis that Foaly realized how much the boy genius had changed. The hologram was a stark reminder that oh, yes, Artemis Fowl was harder to read than a rock, was the definition of composed, and looked more like one very intimidating businessman had shrunk rather than a kid trying on his father's suits. The impeccably professional picture and aura he had once projected was back in that hologram, whereas the genius Foaly had conversed with over v-chat the past several months had a loose tie, dark rings under his eyes, hair just long enough to be unkempt, and a wild look on his face that said "I'm not in touch with reality".

Another shocking difference was just how still this Artemis was, and how efficiently he moved when he chose to do so. The Artemis he was now used to was _constantly_ moving; tapping like a madman, eyes darting around the room like he expected an assassin to jump right out of the shadows, and his movements were jerky and rarely with a definite purpose. The Artemis on hologram had just activated his ring's recorder, then stepped back and looked at it. There was no tapping. There were no heavy sighs or twitches or jerks. He had just moved back and stood staring at the ring, as eerily still as a statue. Every movement had an exact, calculated purpose, and when the purpose was absent, he was still.

Not only was the boy himself different, but his office, too, had changed drastically. Compared with the disaster area his study was in now, it was almost surprising to see it impeccably neat without a single slip of paper out of place- the way it was supposed to be. Short little stacks of files and notes, laptop set off to one side, pens arranged in order of color and size- the way his office was now, it would be hard to even _find_ a pen.

Now that he wasn't watching the gradual transition but, instead, could juxtapose Artemis 1 and Artemis 2 side by side, it was even more shocking that none of them had noticed anything until now.

And so, Foaly watched with an increasing sense of dread as Artemis cleared his throat and began.

"Clinical journal, day one. July 17th, 2006. I have been hearing voices since yesterday. Sleep did not help, as I had expected it to. This is worrisome." Artemis frowned slightly, but still portrayed an unimaginably composed and controlled visage for one who had just announced he heard voices. He looked- extremely strange, Foaly thought, when compared with the clearly disturbed boy who had thrown himself into the time stream just a few hours ago.

"List of symptoms that I have noticed so far: low fever, headaches, chills, irrational fears and compulsions, and, of course, the voice. The voice is the most recent symptom; the others have persisted for around twelve days, with more exact numbers recorded on my computer. Now, I can, of course, treat myself, without involving others. That is what I plan to do. I still theorize that the voice is due to lack of sleep- any other possibility is improbable, and wouldn't explain my other symptoms... It's hardly the voice of reason- the things it suggest are never something I would consider doing, after all. And they are wholly ludicrous. Of course I know the fairies conduct experiments but, of that nature? And it's hardly probable that they could've planned all of this- not without me noticing..." He trailed off before laughing nervously again, shaking his head as if to clear it and focus on something else. "Holly is coming to the surface tomorrow for the Ritual. She can't realize the gravity of the situation. And- oh, what am I saying? The gravity of the situation? It's not as if I'm losing my mind; I'm just a little tired, that's all."

The nervous smile slipped away again, to be replaced by a firm, determined nod. "This concludes my clinical journal for July 17th, entry number one. Because it is very late, and I'm still hoping that sleep will be the cure for the voice. So… until next time." Holographic Artemis walked closer to the ring and touched it lightly, and the video file vanished.

Foaly blinked. There had been no near ranting and raving- no outbursts- no onslaughts of illness- and the only allusion he had made to the fairies being responsible for anything had been doubtful of the very claim. The transition from sound mind to near raving lunatic was abrupt and left him almost reeling- it took him several seconds to get over his shock and speak.

"Talk about a drastic change." He looked from the dark, empty space previously occupied by Artemis back to Holly and slowly shook his head. "...There's no way he actually got so sick this quickly..."

"Oh, yes, he did. I'll fast forward to ten entries later." Holly worked with the ring again for a moment before stepping back from the emerging hologram.

Artemis looked tired- there was no other word for it. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his movements seemed slow and exhausted. His shirt was sloppily tucked in and his tie was loose. While still a far cry from the picture of illness and, well, crazy that Foaly remembered, he wasn't quite as hale and hearty as usual.

"Clinical Journal, Entry number ten, August 2nd… the voice persists. Insists that I must build a certain machine. It will tell me how to build it and I just must follow the instructions. Reminds me of the Christian story of Noah and the ark, but, somehow, I doubt this has anything to do with animals from a flood." He rubbed his temples and leaned back against his desk with an exhausted sigh.

"Other symptoms have grown more severe as well. What I thought was a case of the flu has persisted for over two weeks now and has grown much worse. I've had a fever of over 38 degrees for the past three days; more exact numbers are recorded on my computer, of course. My chest still hurts, and everything is sore… the voice tries to convince me that the fairies are behind this. But no… even if I can not trust them, I have no reason to believe a voice in my head, and there is _no_ reason the fairies would make me ill. They could take care of me in a thousand different ways before they turned to biological warfare."

The words could have been a joke, an, in fact, for a split second Foaly thought they were- but the flat tone to his voice implied that he was entirely serious. _Gods- Artemis really thinks we're capable of this. _

_And, so, the descent into crazy begins... _

"And I had a migraine last night," he continued. "Currently unsure if it is connected, but my logic leads me to believe that it is. After all, I haven't had a migraine since I still possessed magic and the full moon came and… well, it just seems like too much of a coincidence for one to return now, of all times.

"And the irrational compulsions have grown worse. An affinity of five and a fear, for some reason, of… four. …It's quickly becoming clear that this illness, whatever it is, is not due to lack of sleep. I-" Artemis cut himself off, and his lip twitched. He remained silent for several moments before smiling slightly, but it appeared forced and melancholy. "And there was the voice again, instructing me that I am perfectly sane. …It's a very bad sign, when the only evidence that you're not out of your mind is the voices in your head telling you otherwise."

He slowly tapped his desk five times, seemingly unaware that he was even doing so. "...I wonder- what does it mean that my symptoms are progressing in a way that would support everything the voice is telling me? On one hand, the voice could be entirely responsible for my physical ailments; that would explain how it can predict them. But... how? No one else here is sick, and I've run a few tests on my food for poisons anyway, just in case- nothing. The blood work I've done on myself is negative for everything, both probable and improbable; the tests all indicate that I am suffering from symptoms, but as to what is causing them- there is no sign of any pathogens, virus- anything. ...Which is in keeping with what the voice suggests... Ah, what am I saying? That is ridiculous. The fairies would never- would never- no." He shook his head again and seemed to force a smile. "I won't even entertain such thoughts. Pondering the possibility of something not even in reality is not what I should be spending my time doing; it helps nothing."

He nodded firmly, looking almost as if he were trying to convince himself, before walking forward again. "That concludes this entry. I wonder if these recordings will provide a good laugh later for my-" The hologram disappeared before Artemis finished.

Foaly blinked as the boy genius abruptly cut himself off, vanishing from thin air in mid-sentence to leave the centaur staring in silent surprise. Once again, it took him several seconds to recover and gather his thoughts before he was capable of speaking. "Four? Five? What was he talking about?" he questioned sharply. "And biological warfare? Is he insa… well, I suppose he is insane. But why does he think he can't trust us?"

"We don't have the slightest idea- but keep watching. It only gets worse."

The next entry Holly singled out began to replay. The hologram blurred and shifted to reveal Artemis once again. His office now appeared slightly out of order, with a few papers lying scattered about and his computer sitting rather precariously on the edge of his desk. Artemis himself looked like he was barely conscious; his eyes were half open and his tie and suit jacket were lying on his desk. After activating the ring, Artemis moved back and almost fell rather than simply leaning back against the wall, and he rubbed a slightly shaking hand over his eyes. "Entry num… number 17… August 16th."

Artemis rubbed his eyes again and leaned his head back against the wall. "Obviously, I am quite tired. I have been quite ill for the past th… three days, and unable to s…sleep. The voice has kept me working on this ac… accursed machine. I have still not committed to going through with what it asks, but… appeasing it is easier than resisting, and wh-what... have I got... to lose? ...When I resist, the sickness grows e… even worse. Sym… Symptoms have persisted."

The human closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Compulsions still… constant. Five is good, fo… fo… four is bad- same as always. Hot. Hot, all the time. Fever has grown higher than it was p… previously. Obviously, the two mean I've had a f… fever for l-longer than I should. Which would be clear to anyone, since I've had it for _over three weeks_. For heaven's sake… if the fairies are behind this, can't they be done with it? Do what you want, I don't care! Haven't you had your fill of the insane genius by now? Aren't your experiments complete?! _Stop_ making me sicker and just take what you want! I _don't care anymore!_" Artemis gave an aggravated cry and twisted to slam his fist against the wall in fury.

Foaly flinched in surprise. The sudden outburst of the _physical_ was something he was absolutely not expecting- Artemis may be a mental giant but he sacrificed all physical strengths for it; when pushed to the limit, he didn't hit or strike- he lashed out mentally. He wasn't- well, the majority of the LEP- he didn't go around punching holes in walls when he got angry.

_I think we need to add aggression to the list of symptoms... _

Artemis remained facing the wall for several long moments, his labored breaths gradually growing his soft. He lightly hit the wall with his fist ten times before he turned around again, just as tired and angry as before, and began walking back and forth around his office. He was dragging his feet and seemed to barely be standing. "Perhaps the voice is right," he finally muttered under his breath. "Perhaps I should stop all this from happening. If I never met the fairies, they can never cause me problems. It's devilishly simple… no one gets hurt in the process... . I know it's wrong to listen to a voice in your own head, but when the voice makes such a convincing argument…"

Artemis groaned and muttered something inaudible under his breath before raising his head and walking across the room to the ring once more. "That concludes this bloody entry. As if anyone besides me cares. I'm sure the only benefit this'll be to anyone is a roomful of amateur psychology students. 'Everybody, listen up, this is what an insane person looks like! If you encounter someone exhibiting these symptoms, commit to a mental hospital immediately!'"

When the video cut off this time, everybody was shifting uncomfortably, even Butler and Holly. Foaly frowned uneasily, trying to find a way to gather his thoughts to voice something that was coherent and not blatantly harsh. "Well… uh..." he began awkwardly. "That was, ah… informative."

"I'll say," Butler grunted. "Foaly, I thought you enjoyed hacking into our security system. Why didn't you ever see anything like _this?_"

"Well, I do trust him now," Foaly huffed. "...Somewhat. I don't spend all day watching him, anyway. There were no cameras in his lab; he must have disabled them all, and there are no cameras in his office. …Gods. I- Artemis..."

Holly nodded slightly in morose agreement, then gestured at the ring. "And would you believe that it gets worse?"

"Well, after this morning, I have to."

Holly nodded unhappily as she changed the hologram again- this time, he noted, with a slight air of hesitancy and... _finality_.

And this- _this_ was a boy he was more familiar with.

This time, his office was a complete mess, and Artemis himself was disheveled. He appeared to have more energy than on the last entry Foaly had watched, but it was nervous energy. He was tapping continuously and pacing back and forth, his eyes slightly wild and darting around the room anxiously. "November 6th, entry number fifty… well, seven more days. Seven more days until I have my meeting. I set the date in stone today.

"I suppose I can no longer pretend I'm not going through with this. I've done so much work on it… and I only grow sicker as the days pass. If I don't do this, who knows what the fairies will force on me next. Or if the fairies will find the voice- I- I don't want to think of what they would do to- to- their _experiments_. Even after everything they've done already... No. I can't allow them to continue this. I have to go back and stop us from ever meeting, and then move on to who they've already hurt."

Artemis turned sharply, and his tapping increased in frequency, even as it continued to be in passages of five. "If the voice would just stop… I need a moment where I can think without it intruding. They're worried and anxious beyond necessity and their paranoia is not helping matters. ...Perhaps I could come up with a neater solution, in time... if the voice would only be quiet for a day- that's all I'm asking. But no! That's an-" Artemis suddenly choked off and doubled over as his hands reached up to clasp his ears. He coughed and gripped the side of his desk for support, breathing hard, his dark eyes wide.

By the time he finally straightened up, his voice and breath were weak, and he was clutching his stomach in pain. "I understand. I understand, I know it's necessary. I won't sabotage it, I swear. No, that's not the only reason I- no, that's not- I- yes! I understand!" Artemis was tapping so quickly his finger was almost a blur now, and his expression was frantic, the look of panic in his eyes vivid.

Still breathing hard, he murmured, his voice finally his own instead of a higher version rent with indecision and uncertainty, "I should… I should go. There is still much work to be done, if I ever hope to prevent our meeting. The voice swears this won't create a time split and that the tangent that created me will simply disappear, and I will be returned to my own time with no memory of this. They're clearly wrong; no physics supports that- and it's a horrible option, anyway, I don't want _that_ to happen- then I can't help them. ...At any rate, I think it more likely I will have memory of the events that transpired and I… well, I am digressing now." He brushed the sweat off his forehead with a low groan before shaking his head.

"In seven days, this will all have ended. It's surreal, to be sure… I can't trust them, though. A thief has no friends… not even my own bodyguard. Ignorant and innocent is still ignorant, after all. ...I need to hurry. This charade can not continue forever. I… I almost think that-" Artemis's eyes widened, and he grasped his chest again and leaned back against the wall, letting out a low moan of pain. "Oh, god," he panted, staring up at the ceiling, his labored breaths growing short. He took a few moments to regain control of himself, then smiled weakly at the camera and said, "And, on that note, I conclude this entry. Perhaps, if I could work for more than an hour without being feeling like Butler is punching me in the ribs… but no. Wishful thinking, on my part. Five five five five _five_. Not going to happen until I rectify this mistake in the past."

And then the hologram went black.

"And that's the last of them," Holly said in the dark silence that followed.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for the wait. It's... been a terrible week all around, college admissions wise. I hate the class of 2014. So many god damn over over over over achievers. Since when do perfect gpas and test scores mean nothing anymore- not just ivy schools, but any remotely good school?!

Sorry. Had to get that out. Enjoy while I go into bankruptcy at the one school I was accepted to :)

_December 5, 1998, ?_

"I will kill him! I will slay him for daring to commit such a horrendous act! He could be hanged for that- and should be! I will never rest until I have crossed swords with-"

"Orion, _be quiet!_" Artemis yelled, his thin patience snapping as he turned on his romantic fool of an alter ego. "All you've done is toss about silly, outdated threats!"

"They are not outdated! And I fully intend to carry them out, Artemis- they are not just threats! Ooh… how furious this man has made me. When I get the chance, I shall slice his throat. He doesn't even deserve an honorable duel. What he did was not honorable; attacking a woman, attacking-"

"_Orion!_"

Artemis buried his face in his hands when his moronic alter continued waxing eloquent. _This is not what I need right now. _

He raised his eyes to the monitor, mouth turning downwards in a frown when he saw the screen was still a blurring, glitching, staticy mess. Orion had explained earlier this was how the monitor to the outside world looked whenever Artemis was most ill- or, strictly speaking, his _body_ was most ill. The screen had been like this for a while now; all he'd been able to see of Hecate's actions on the ferry was that he'd- he'd just senselessly _murdered_ a child!

The thought left him sick, and he was only kept sane through the fierce hope that this was, in fact, nothing but a hallucination. Which he still suspected (hoped) it was.

"And naming himself Hecate- what a clever choice-"

_And Orion's constant rambling is not helping._

"It is not _clever!_" Artemis snapped, losing what patience he had left. "It is the exact opposite, in fact! Hecate and Artemis were often cast together as one in mythology, Hecate associated with witchcraft, and my namesake with the hunt. It is not clever at all for him to name himself after my namesake's pseudo-twin. And you're not exactly one to talk, _Orion_, boy who Artemis fell in love with. Certainly explains why you talk like a romantic fool-"

"I talk how we all speak, Artemis!"

"You don't see me going around, rambling about dragons and swords and fair maidens and-"

"You're hardly a knight! You're a scientist. Tinker away with your worthless artifacts of sorcery; I am the hero, the knight in shining armor-"

"_You_ are the fool who will have a broken nose if you don't _be quiet!_"

Orion actually stopped talking for a short moment. Then he smiled cheekily with an approving nod. "Good, good. Violent tendencies, Artemis- perhaps there is hope for you yet."

Artemis let out an anguished yell and pounded his fist against his desk. "I will _not_ be told that by a figment of my own imagination!"

"I am not a figment of your imagination, Artemis. I'm perfectly real. Just wait until that traitor Hecate is knocked out of the throne and I seize hold. Then I'll-"

"Listen here, Orion. I don't know what will make Hecate lose control, but I will find out, and I will make it happen- and I'm not planning on doing all that work just to let _you_ take control of MY body!"

Orion shrugged easily and sat down at his desk, kicking his feet up on the desk. "So testy, Artemis. Why don't you just be at ease? It will do wonders for your stress levels."

Artemis rubbed his temples and groaned. "A sociopath is in control of my body, we're in the past with only three days to accomplish a very important task, and he's probably going to bloody murder someone without any thought for the consequences! I have _reasons_ to be stressed!"

"Yes, but relax, and a solution will come to you. Let it flow to you, like a-"

"If you finish that sentence, I will lose my mind."

Orion smiled broadly at him and winked. "Haven't you already?"

* * *

With an annoyed tug on his scarf, Hecate turned briskly off of the wharf and sent a cursory glance around the street. _Intermediary destination of Liverpool: reached, with only minor complications. Final destination of London: en route. _

_Minor complications... ha. With the oncoming storm, all ferries will be shut down- her body won't be found for at least a week. And by then, the current could've even swept it out to the ocean. That barely qualifies as a complication._

_No... you, darling- you were just the warm-up act._

Hecate smiled grimly as he swept his gaze over the street- searching, analyzing, examining any possible threats and any possible _other_ hitches in his plan. His goal of the UK had been reached with hardly a hiccup, which only left London. He had to get to London, and he had to get there before tomorrow afternoon. That wasn't going to be an issue- not without any distractions, anyway- but he couldn't help but be angry at Artemis. The fool hadn't been smart enough to enter the past closer to London?

He walked quickly along the street with a low sense of urgency mixed with irritation roiling underneath his calm visage, searching for a map that would lead him to the train station. Unlike that fool Orion, Hecate had listened and learned from the confines of Artemis's mind, and thus knew how to maneuver his way through a large city.

Also unlike Orion, he thought it wise to harbor Artemis's questionably healthy sense of paranoia. Maybe not everyone was out to get him, but that mindset would leave him aware- and awareness was vital. He had all the enemies of a once criminal mastermind and, without that hulking pile of muscle following his footstep like a whipped puppy, nothing to stop an attack.

Nothing except his own intelligence. (And a brutal set of physical skills that no one would ever expect. He did like the element of surprise, after all.)

With the weather taking the turn that it was, there were few people to observe. Even the roads were mostly clear, the promise of imminent ice enough to keep people on foot or inside. There were only three visible problems on his level, and they snared his attention immediately.

There was a man across the street, walking in the same direction as him but clearly not paying him the slightest attention. Given his neatly pressed suit, dark briefcase, and the harried conversation he was carrying on with his cell phone, he was just a businessman on the way to a meeting. Hecate's theory was confirmed when he slowed his pace for a moment, pretending to dawdle by the entrance to the store, and the man continued on at his near jog without once looking back.

The second was a bit more worrisome threat. Also on the other side of the street was a woman- but she was approaching him rather than following him, moving along the sidewalk at the speed of a run. Her eyes weren't on him but the very fact that she was headed his way turned her into a threat. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail that clashed when her pink sweatshirt and matching pants, her blank gaze focused directly in front of her- Hecate was left to stare in nearly blatant distrust as the woman got closer... closer... and closer...

And then passed him entirely.

He actually came to a halt to stare at her moving quickly in the other direction without once looking back, her rhythmic steps carrying her farther and farther away, as well as any possibility of her being a threat.

..._Could she possibly be... just exercising? _

The moment the thought entered his head, it did so with a blast of clarity, and Hecate had to resist the urge to groan out of self-annoyance as he turned at last to judge the third threat.

She looked somewhat harmless, but, then, looks could be deceiving. It was a young girl that was sitting on a bench a bit of a ways ahead on his side of the street, entirely bundled up for the cold in a long jacket and scarf, with a black bag sitting beside her and under her arm. From the way she occasionally glanced at her watch, she appeared to be waiting for someone- but whenever her eyes weren't directed at the time, they were directed in a failed attempt at being subtle at him.

He was being watched.

_Confrontation? Avoidance? Should I wait until I know more about her? Or strike now? _

...They said patience was a virtue.

But Hecate had never been a very virtuous man.

And when he finally reached the bench and the girl jumped to stare at the ground in innocence, as if she had never once been looking at him, what little chance she'd had of getting out of here alive vanished.

Hecate came to an immediate stop directly in front of her. He turned squarely to face her and watched as her cheeks flooded with a curious pink and her hands clenched tighter in her lap- huh. Her reaction to getting caught was so uninteresting. He at least would've liked to have a little fun getting her to admit what she'd been up to, but this- this was just embarrassing. He wanted a challenge, not a pushover.

"Tip one: Do not blatantly stare at your target. Tip two: Do not keep your weapons in such an obvious place," he began flatly, with a scathing glance and an eye roll at the bag under her arm. "Tip three: Do not sit in such a blatantly obvious place where I'd have to be blind to not notice you. And, tip four: Do not react with whatever _this_ is," he continued with a gesture up and down her embarrassing reaction, "if you are caught and approached by the target. This is just sad."

The pink left the girls cheeks, as did the deer-in-the-headlights eyes and the slight, involuntary smile. Her expression turned to blank surprise now, her head jerking up as she stared at him with wide eyes. She opened her mouth, shut it again, then just sighed and rolled her eyes. "...I get it now," she muttered, her tone bored and a little bit irritated. "I guess what they say really is true. All the good-looking ones are either taken, gay... or crazy."

Hecate's frown deepened. Whoever she was wasn't very well trained; her attempts at playing innocent were even worse now than before. "It's too late for you to try to back out of this now. Explain quickly and I will end this quickly- which, believe me, you want. Who hired you? Why were you watching me?"

With a tense sigh, the girl wrapped her arm tighter around her bag and stood, making to turn away. "No one _hired_ me, crazy. There's a therapist's office down the street, maybe you should give him a try; meanwhile, _I've _got a class to go to. Have fun being paranoid."

_Is this how you want to play? Well, I can play this game, too, sweetheart. _

Hecate let her get one step around him, almost far enough for her to think she was home free, before he let himself enter the game. It was always fun to give prey a head start, after all.

His hand anchored itself around her wrist in a grip as tight as iron and he yanked, hard. At just the right angle it was enough to get her off balance, and the moment she tipped, he had kicked out to sweep her feet out from under her and reached his free hand around to silence any possible screams. The girl's reaction was pitiful at best and laughable at worst; she let out a startled squeak and flailed her arms about like she was stumbling on an ice skating rink. Hecate actually did laugh aloud at her attempts, unable to help a smile when she let out a muffled cry into his hand and started to tug as hard as she could at his grip.

Once again- hardly even a challenge.

"Listen to me," he said flatly, tightening his hold on her wrist when it flailed once again. "No, no. Don't _struggle, listen. _If you would like for this to end well for you, then you will do what I say. Do you understand?"

There was another muffled whimper, and then, the feel of two rows of tiny teeth sinking hard into his hand. Hecate raised an eyebrow at her truly pathetic attempts, and laughed again at the seeming despair that took her over when she got nothing out of it. "Oh, how cute. You took a class of self-defense in college. But I think I forgot to mention this wasn't amateur hour, sweetheart."

"Mmm! _Mmmmm!_"

Hecate looked closer at the sight of little droplets of water rolling down out of her eyes to seep beneath his hand. What was this? Was she actually _crying? _He hadn't even hurt her. What was she crying _about?_

"Honestly, stop. Stop crying, stop whining, stop all of _this_. Just listen closely, and maybe I won't give something to actually cry about. Do you have a car?"

There were some whimpers again, and more tears, and he lot an aggravated sigh. _And I thought Artemis was spineless... _"Yes or no. Nod or shake," he cajoled, tugging her back hard when she made another half-hearted attempt to escape. "Do you, or do you not, have a car?"

And at long last, there was a frightened, tearful nod.

Hecate smiled.

_To London._

* * *

"Oh my god, what is he doing?" Artemis gasped, dropping his head to his hands and shaking it in distress when Hecate pulled her along so hard she almost fell. "I almost can't watch. He just assaulted a defenseless girl for an easy route to London."

"You've had your butler hit people before."

"His _name_ is Butler, Orion, and never for as trivial a reason as this. There's collateral damage in operations, and then there's senseless violence." _And then there's psychotic killing sprees, but hey, why split hairs? _

Artemis shook his head again as he watched Hecate force his victim along the street. The purposeless, horrible _murder_ of that child earlier... _(it didn't happen, that wasn't me and it wasn't real, this is all not real)_ and now, the senseless abuse of just a woman on the street... young enough to still be a student...

This situation was escalating, and fast. Hecate had gained control hardly a few hours ago, and already the body count was piling up. One for certain- and now... perhaps...

_I killed someone, Hecate killed someone, but he's me, and I killed someone..._

"Orion!" he gasped frantically, ripping his eyes open and twisting to stare at his alter. "What will he do now? If this woman helps him like he asks, will he hurt her? Or let her go?!"

Far be it from the romantic to get worked up in the case of possible murder; Orion hardly batted an eye at the frantic question, his gaze still focused right on the screen. "How should I know? He's a sociopath, Artemis. Possessed by demons. If the demons will it-"

"Oh, never mind. You're hopeless." Artemis turned away from Orion to watch the screen again himself, horror struck by what his body was doing. When he watched Hecate pull the girl by her hair when he saw her trying to pull out her phone and text someone for help, he could stand it no longer.

"That's it. I'm stopping this." He headed toward the door of his mind office.

"Artemis, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Be quiet, Orion. You've already warned me that I won't like what's behind it- but I can't let Hecate continue to-!"

Artemis choked himself off the moment he saw what was waiting behind the door.

A swarm of fours hovered outside the door.

_Fours...!_

The horrible numbers sparkled with electricity, all painted in glowing, garish neon colors as they floated in the murky, dark sea of his mindspace- floated, waiting, _waiting_. The numbers wiggled and flashed with sparks of energy, as if reacting like old friends to his appearance- as if they were waiting for him with open, malicious arms.

His heart almost stopped.

_..._

_..._

_FOURS...! _

Artemis flinched when a current of glowing energy snaked throughout the horrific army waiting for him, the movement all he could do in his frozen state, the squirming numbers rooting him to the spot. He stared in open terror, aghast, and it was only Orion's voice that managed to break him out of his frozen, shaking horror.

"...worst fear, but of course. Why such a coward is in charge of such powerful warriors as Hecate and I, I will never know…"

Artemis flinched again at his voice, but the veiled insult was enough to shake off some of the shock, if not the fear, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. The army waiting for him- fours of immeasurable number, a force that was surely invulnerable and impossible to defeat- but... _but..._

_Hecate- he's going to kill that girl. I thought he wouldn't kill the child on the boat, that it was a hallucination, anything but the truth- but now, she's-! _

_I can't allow him to do this again! _

Armed with nothing more than a deep breath and a determined nod, Artemis flung himself forward.

* * *

Orion waved goodbye to Artemis before settling himself in to watch the magic screen to see how events would play out. Hecate was forcing the poor maiden to walk along the side of the road, still holding her arm in a vice like grip. It made him tremble with a raw, raging kind of fury. What kind of a knight picked his fights with defenseless village girls?

Orion clenched his fists in anger as he watched Hecate push the girl down the street even faster. The girl soon turned off, leading them into some sort of dark, cavernous opening, with dozens of what Orion believed to be cars. He had seen Artemis in one a few times and that was his only explanation. He watched as the woman led Hecate to what he assumed to be her car and the two got in it.

Hecate said, "Good. Now, drive me to London."

"L-London?!" the woman squeaked, her voice cracking over terror.

Orion watched intently as fear suddenly flooded across her features and didn't want to guess at the expression on Hecate's face. "Yes. Why? Is that a problem?"

The blood had drained from her face entirely to leave her bone white when she managed a jerky shake of her head. "N- no-"

"Then _drive_."

Orion glowered as the frightened woman followed his order. _Traitorous, cowardly bastard! _"Artemis, while I'd rather be king than watch you rule, I do bid you luck on your attempt to throw Hecate off the throne. I hope the gods are on your side and not his."

But Hecate showed no signs of discomfort, making Orion doubt if Artemis was actually was making any progress whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the moment the girl drove out onto the street, Artemis was abruptly ejected back out from the world outside to go tumbling head over heels back into the office. He was coughing and drenched in sweat, and when he finally slipped and fell into a clumsy stop, he was breathing hard, and his dark eyes wide and unseeing. He remained collapsed across the floor like a rag doll, slim shoulders trembling with the force of his heavy wheezes and entire body wracked with tremors. Orion watched as he slowly worked his hands under him to push himself up into a sitting position, his head turned stiffly to stare at the door, his gaze transfixed on it in terror.

"Welcome back, Artemis. How was your trip?"

Artemis glanced up at Orion with a jerky twitch of his head, his eyes wide, before he scrambled to his feet again, still breathing hard. "Tell me Hecate didn't hurt her while I was…"

"No, but I'd advise you to hurry before he does."

Artemis looked towards the open door again in complete terror, then shook his head, closed his eyes, and ran for it again. He was only gone for a few seconds this time before the foes repelled him again, and this time, he landed flat on his back, utterly winded, haunted eyes trained on the ceiling. "Okay," Orion uttered grudgingly, moving over to grab him by the wrist, then pulled him to his feet and helped him over to the desk. "Come on, sit down."

Artemis shook off his help, stumbled the remaining two steps by himself to collapse on the desk, gasping for breath, his forehead sticky with sweat. "Oh… oh my god. The f-fours. The f-f-fours-"

_Honestly! I'm forced to share a form with a cowardly scientist- I could accomplish so much more if I were by myself! "_Stop being a child, Artemis," Orion snapped, aggravated. "Hecate is on his way to London with the commoner."

"She's not a commoner, Orion, why aren't you… ugh, never mind." He coughed again and buried his head in his hands while Orion returned his attention to what Hecate is doing.

Which was absolutely nothing. The entire way through Liverpool, Hecate had watched his victim drive and remained silent. Orion watched while Artemis regained his strength for another try to break through the wall of fours again, but the scientist remained still until Hecate was driven out of Liverpool into the snowy countryside, and then, with a resigned sigh, he stood again and walked shakily over to the wall of fours.

"I can not let him remain in control forever. I have to try again."

_I don't think third time's the charm, in this case... "_Artemis, I don't think that's such a good-"

"You also think the world is populated by dragons and wizards, so excuse me for not listening to your opinion."

Orion shrugged. _Your loss, then. _"Bon voyage, Artemis. Though I- wait! Something's happening!"

Artemis scrambled back over to his side to watch as Hecate suddenly coughed, reaching up to feel his forehead with a shaking hand. He coughed again, and Artemis leaned forward in anticipation when Hecate started to tremble. The screen began to glitch, lines of code appearing and blurring together for a few moments before, with one loud, abrupt click, everything went black.

The room was cloaked in darkness- one so thick he couldn't even see his scientist companion one foot sitting away from him.

Orion blinked.

"...Wow," he managed after a moment. "Wasn't expecting th-"

"Wait! Nobody's in control! That means-" There was the sound of frantic, pounding footsteps, and then, the door was tossed open to give illumination to the room, a ray of light shining further to give them vision once again. Whatever Artemis saw outside of it must have been what he was hoping for, because he glanced back at Orion with a triumphant smile. "As I thought. Orion, I must bid you adieu- hopefully, never to repeat this encounter again." And, with that, he flung himself forward once more.

* * *

When Artemis finally emerged to the outside world, it was with a hard gasp of air, and the blast of light almost blinded him. He sat shell shocked, blinking and numb, the wondrous feel of being able to move his own limbs again enough to leave him short of breath and paralyzed in his seat. It took him a moment to regain focus enough to start trying to move, then, with a heavy breath that flooded his limbs with strength, he was back in reality.

"Hecate must've had a seizure, like I had," he murmured aloud, understanding clearing his head, and he took in another deep breath before raising his head and looking around his surroundings. He was still in the car- but it was empty now, the driver's seat deserted- with the key still in the ignition. Confused, Artemis turned to look out the window to see someone who looked like the woman Hecate had grabbed running as fast as she could back to Liverpool. "Wait!" he called, jumping out of the car. "Wait, come back, I… ah, yes, because learning that I'm not a psychopath, I'm just insane will make her feel so much better."

Sighing, Artemis got back in the car and climbed into the driver's seat, putting the car in drive and shaking his head. She had probably taken off when Hecate had had a seizure, most likely in fear for her life. Not that he blamed her.

But there was no use crying over spilled milk. Now he was in a car- and halfway between London and Liverpool.

No sense in only going halfway.

_If only I could figure out how to stop the odd, recurrent seizures- or what's causing them in the first place! Then there would be no danger of this happening again! Well... I know the cause of it- the fairies, of course, and their magic! But that doesn't mean I know a way to prevent these symptoms- not unless I can find an antidote to magic._

Artemis then shook his head hard and groaned. Thinking such things would accomplish nothing- and were certainly not helpful when he had work to do.

"Orion, _Hecate_," he muttered harshly under his breath. "You both stop interfering. I need to accomplish this and I can't do so if you're both trying to take over. I know you can hear me." Artemis hesitated, wondering how crazy he would sound to someone observing this, then shook his head again. He was ninety percent positive he was crazy.


	8. Chapter 8

I... hate... senior... year... why is second semester second nine weeks senior year STILL SO HARD. SCHOOL IS SUPPOSED TO BE OVER.

Ahh, I'm sorry. For reasons I fail to comprehend, I'm still so damn busy. I'll try to update regularly from now on, but no promises. Thank you for reviewing :) Enjoy :)

* * *

_September 13th, 2006, Fowl Manor_

"No, that doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, then come up with a theory of your own, Foaly, instead of just rejecting ours!"

"I'm working here, thank you very much!"

Holly, Butler, and No1 were sitting on the floor of Artemis's lab, over six hours into the time stop**,** watching as Foaly tinkered with Artemis's machine. They were a good fourth of the way into their shift- Trouble's orders; with a time stop this long, protocols were already in place to stop officers from trying to work themselves to death without the possibility of sleep. Even Butler had been forced to concede to the validity of the need- no matter how reluctant he had been. Now, they were simply forced to be content with the time they had- which, in reality, meant cram everything they could before Trouble showed up to force them to rest.

And in that cram time, they were discussing theories over why Artemis had gone back into the past.

Based on almost nothing but the disturbing v-diaries, of course- so, not surprising that nothing plausible had come up.

"Okay, perhaps we're going about this the wrong way," Butler said when nobody had spoken for at least two minutes. "None of us have any idea why Artemis is going back in time. But it's clear he's… sick. Very sick. Any idea with what?"

Foaly shrugged, still only half-focused on the conversation. "Well, none of the symptoms he listed add up. Number compulsions, paranoia… add that in with his previous crimes and dabbling in magic, and you get Atlantis Complex. He'd be a textbook case, actually- but Atlantis does _not_ present with hearing voices. Or any of the other physical symptoms, for that matter. But I'm not a psychologist or a doctor- perhaps we should call one in before we begin diagnosing him ourselves."

"Well, what _does_ present with hearing voices? According to what we watched, that's where he got the whole idea to go back in time from."

Rubbing his head, the centaur let out a low sigh coupled with a frown. "I don't know, honestly. I'm sure Opal Koboi hears little voices in her head all the time. I know my uncle hears them- and talks back to them- from years of alcohol abuse. I know that-"

"Okay, how is _this_ helping anything?" Holly snapped- eager to interrupt before their residential technical expert got on a roll. With a disgruntled sigh, Foaly fell silent and looked away from the conversation. He continued working while Holly mentally ran through everything she remembered from college, everything she'd learned in the required medic courses for LEPrecon, anything that was possibly relevant from decades of field experience- trying to think of any possible disease that could cause its victims to hear voices.

Of course, as her experiences had consisted more of how to shoot rather than how to diagnose, she was even worse off than Foaly.

Finally, she shrugged and just gave up. "We can't diagnose Artemis. Not like this. Besides, our priority should be to get him back into the present! Not play doctor!"

"And how do you propose we do that? Qwan is the only other warlock strong enough to do that, as No1's tapped out, and he's underground. And, even if we got him up here, what are you going to do? Just go storming off into the past and hope to land in the same moment that Artemis does? Do you have any _idea_ how complicated it would be to just go charging off into the time stream and start tracking? What would you do, huh? Would you try random time periods? Or maybe just go back to the beginning and follow him along from there, see where everything went wrong? Or would you-" Foaly abruptly cut himself off- his eyes widening, his expression going blank with the look of being dumbstruck by an epiphany.

"…You... y-you… _back to the beginning... _Frond. _Frond. _Oh my gods. Oh my _gods_."

The gadget in his numb hands dropped to the ground with an echoing clatter, and Holly jumped out of her tired haze at the sound to look up at the centaur. His speech had shifted from disorganized rambling to a slow, stunned proclamation of disaster, and he had abruptly paled, skin tone draining white, and now stood mouth agape and hands slack. He was staring blankly at the machine with unseeing eyes and an expression that said that, despite her thinking that it was impossible for her, this situation _had just gotten worse._

"Foaly?" she tried cautiously, and maybe her voice didn't waver, but it was an ordeal to keep it steady. "W-what are you thinking over there?"

"Oh my _gods_." Foaly's limp hands dropped to his sides and he took a slow step back from the machine, eyes still transfixed on whatever unseen horror was going through his mind. "To prevent our meeting. _To prevent our meeting_, that's what he said. Oh, no. This is worse than we thought. Stop us from meeting… oh, gods."

"Hey!" Holly jumped to her feet and moved to shake him by the shoulders and right out of his trance- perhaps more for the purpose of waking him up than hearing for herself what he had discovered, but something told her she absolutely did not want to know the new information that had rendered him speechless. "Foaly, snap out of it! What'd you figure out?"

"The reason Artemis went back in time. To what started it all, to where it all began- oh my gods. Holly, he went back to stop his younger self from ever meeting you. From ever kidnapping you."

Holly stared at him blankly. Her immediate reaction was confusion, and then, denial- because it didn't make any sense. Nor did she understand why Foaly seemed so horrified by this knowledge. She shook her head and started to protest his 'conclusion'. "What? Foaly, no. Why would he do that? And that wouldn't be a permanent fix, anyway. He would've just grabbed another fairy then-"

"No! Don't you get it?" Foaly moved back and started walking around the lab, wrapping his head around the idea himself. "He's not going back to the night he _kidnapped_ you. _Why_ did he kidnap you, Holly?"

Butler stood as well. "We needed the money."

"Yes, why?"

"Because his father was kidnapped, and we needed-"

"_Exactly_. His father was kidnapped… that was the beginning of it all. Artemis is intending to stop his father from being kidnapped."

The entire room remained quiet as they contemplated the ramifications of what Foaly was saying. Holly really wasn't sure what he was getting at it, or why he looked so horrified, and by the look on his face, Butler didn't, either; it was No1 who chose to question Foaly, speaking up uncertainly, "That's… not a bad thing, right? So he stops a crime from being committed. That's good, isn't it?"

Foaly shook his head sharply. "No, No1, you're not looking at the big picture. It is not _good _at all- it is the very opposite, in fact. If Artemis stops his father from being kidnapped, then it is very likely that the we and him would never have met. And Artemis has been instrumental in many of the LEP's operations over the past years. Who knows what might have happened if he wasn't involved- Opal minght never have been captured after she escaped from Argon's Clinic; hell, the B'wa Kell Rebellion might have even been successful-for gods' sakes, the entire Eighth Family would have been killed without his interference. _You_, No1, and all of your kind, would be dead. Oh my gods… it'll cause dozens of time paradoxes."

Holly raised her eyebrows when Foaly actually appeared more horrified at the thought and glanced in confusion at Butler. He shrugged, as it say he didn't understand either. "Wait… but… all those things you're talking about- they've already happened. So, even if he stops them from happening in the past, it shouldn't change anything now- right?"

"No, Holly. You're viewing time as some objective, unchangeable quantity, where when something has happened in the past, it can't be undone. The truth is, all those psychologists telling you in those required post-trauma meetings that regret isn't helpful, you can't change the past? They were liars; you _can_ change the past. It's all theoretical, of course. No one has ever attempted a time paradox before, although you and Artemis caused one yourselves when you brought Opal into this time period with you."

"See, nothing happened there! We still met Opal in the past after we were supposed to have… removed her from the… past?"

Butler and No1 chuckled as Holly's words got twisted and she struggled to keep her head straight when talking about time travel, but Foaly was too wrapped up in whatever it was he had discovered to take notice. "Well, there are two theories out there on this. One, the timeline split, so no time paradox was created."

"If that's true, then-"

"_Theory two _ makes the assumption that we eventually catch past Opal, mind wipe her, and return her to her own time!" Foaly slapped his hand against the machine for emphasis and shook his head furiously. "But that's _aside the point_. There are three theories concerning time paradoxes. One, if a time paradox is created, normal physics trumps quantum physics and absolutely nothing happens- what you're suggesting. Two, if a time paradox is created such as you killing Opal in the past rather than her following you to the present, then present Opal would die peacefully. And then, there is theory number three- Opal would still die, and everything she influenced over the years? If non-living, then they go bye bye in terms of an _explosion_. If living… the theory states that… nuclear fission would occur."

Holly sucked in a gasp while Butler was on his feet in half a second, the entire room's occupants staring at Foaly in shock. They may not have been scientists, but they knew what nuclear fission was. "_What?!_" Holly yelled. "Foaly, please tell me you're joking!"

"Oh, yes, because I thought it would be _D'Arviting funny_ to joke about all of us dying in a _D'Arviting nuclear explosion _the second this time stop ends!"

"Wait!" Butler gasped. He stepped slowly forward as he realized something that hadn't yet come to the others. "Foaly, I don't know if they would apply- but Myles and Beckett were only born because Artemis was in the time stream for three years. I remember Mrs. Fowl telling me that; that they wanted to have more children because Artemis wasn't there. What… what will happen to them, if Artemis does succeed?"

Foaly's gaze darkened, and he looked away uncomfortably while Holly watched him in alarm. Finally, he swallowed hard and announced, "Same as everybody else who's alive because of his work with us, Butler. They would die, too."

No one spoke for a few agonizingly long moments, horror struck. It was finally Holly who managed to break the silence. "I think it's time to call Trouble."

"LEP will have set up a network of communications within the time stop by now. You can probably reach him through the communications system in your helmet."

Holly nodded and tried it; sure enough, the call went through.

"Captain Short, tell me you have something."

"Actually, yes. Several somethings. First of all, we think we know the reason Artemis went back in time. Second of all, this is going to have to be dealt with delicately- we discovered some video diaries, and Artemis is… very, very sick."

"Captain, I'm not inclined to give Fowl a D'Arviting _pass _on this just because he has a cough or-"

"I mean mentally ill, Commander! I… He talked about hearing voices. Well, a voice, really. From what he was saying, it was the voice that convinced him to go back in time in the first place. Said that the voice told him _we_ were making him feel sick, that he had to go back in time and stop this from happening."

After that explanation, Holly expected to hear another insult or two about Artemis- maybe _well if he's lost his mind, I say good riddance to him and his mad genius schemes, _or perhaps _you say he's crazy, I say he's playing you._

But there was nothing.

And, for the hundredth time that day, Holly got a very distinct feeling in her gut that she was about to hear something that she _really _did not want to.

"H-he... he... Fowl was hearing voices?"

Trouble's voice had abruptly lost all air of bravado and hints of strong-arming. It went from furious and urgent to blank and stunned, all hint of any emotion besides shock and maybe, _maybe_ a tinge of horror disappearing immediately. Holly felt her blood run cold at the tone, her hands curling into fists by instinct. A wave of fear roiled up inside of her, poisoning what strength she had left before she forcibly shook her head, cresting it down to be swallowed by determination.

"…Yes, that's what I said. Commander? What've you found out?"

"...This is worse than I thought."

Holly could tell just by his voice that he wasn't speaking just about Artemis's state of mind. She doubted Trouble would ever give a damn about their human partner's health- physical or mental. No... the knowledge that he had been hearing voices meant something more to him than it did to her. "Commander!"

"I'm on my way there. I have to see this for myself."

* * *

_December 5, 1998, London_

_"Listen in on Fowl's speech. When he announces the date the Fowl Star is to set off, tell me. And keep an eye out for his bodyguard- it's a Butler."_

_"Got it. Anything else?"_

_"Yes, there is SOMETHING ELSE. I didn't call you just for this."_

Artemis sighed loudly. He really wished the Russian mafia would speak in English, instead of their native tongue. Not that he couldn't speak Russian fluently; he could, but in his current state, it was giving him a headache.

_"You can give him one last chance to reconsider his plans for 'going legal'. Threaten his son."_

_"What about his bodyguard? If he's a Butler, then he won't be too pleased to let us stand there and threaten his principal."_

_"Keep the Butler occupied."_

_"How do you propose we do THAT?"_

_"Do I have to think of everything for you? Perhaps I should dispose of you the way we were planning on disposing of Fowl."_

There was a short silence, followed by an angry grunt and a promise to figure something out. Goodbyes were exchanged before the line went silent.

Artemis then tugged the earphones out and sighed, leaning back in his chair and gazing around the shoddy London hotel room. It was early morning- the day of the beginning of his plan. He was actually right on schedule, something he wouldn't have bet on after the disaster of a start he'd gotten to yesterday- and his work this morning had taken even less time than he'd originally estimated. Tapping into the phone calls made from the head of the Russian mafia to his subordinates hadn't exactly been his crowning accomplishment of the year- there were advantages, after all, to have state of the art technology over ten years ahead of the most sophisticated programs of the time. He had only bothered to expend the little effort it had taken to cover all his bases- the little information he had uncovered wasn't very surprising.

The voice had advised him that just stopping the Fowl Star from being ambushed would be too difficult, not to mention only a temporary solution. Artemis had listened to Irish police speaking with his father after he had been finally rescued, however, and learned that the mafia had first confronted him at a benefit in London that Artemis remembered his parents attending many years ago. The voice had told him that it was better to confront the mafia there and intimidate them into never going after his father.

How was he to do this? Well, for one, he had hijacked some of Foaly's programs and altered them to work from his phone. The phantom programs that he had seen in action in their assault on the Paradizos were going to be instrumental in this operation.

He also was going to rely on an unwilling gift from No1- that is, if he still possessed it. The voice swore that he would, but Artemis was still wary of believing everything the voice in his head told him.

Above all, though, Artemis was counting on the fact that he was an unknown variable in this equation. He needed to make his appearance as a technologically superior, all-powerful enemy, warn them to leave the Fowls alone, then disappear before the mafia had had a chance to realize he was just one man with a few toys. When the mafia would begin to search for signs of his presence elsewhere, Artemis planned to be in a different time. Disappearing without a trace would be almost as intimidating as appearing from thin air.

There were numerous problems with his approach, not the least of which was the fact that Foaly's programs weren't going to quite as effective and impressive when they were all being run from a cell phone. They would be slow and glitchy, at best.

But he didn't have time to come up with another plan. The meeting was tonight, and he had to be back in Ireland _tomorrow_, or he would be stuck in this time for good.

Sighing, Artemis walked over to the bed and collapsed onto it, flinging an arm above his head while fiddling with his phone with the other. He looked, for all the world, like a teenager texting his girlfriend. In reality, he was running through the programs he had ported onto his phone that he wanted to use tonight, once again checking for any fallacies he had yet to correct. As usual, his work beforehand had been impeccable and there was nothing more he could do but wait for tonight to come.

He tried to sit up, but his chest hurt too much, so he remained on his back, staring at the dirty ceiling. The first thing he was going to do when he returned to the present was resume running tests on himself. The voice had told him the illness would stop the moment he went to the past- but it only seemed to have gotten worse. He had never once had a seizure in the present, and now, he'd had two seizures in just as many days. Clearly, there had been a miscalculation.

Artemis felt his phone vibrate in his hand and glanced down at it to see that it was at low battery. "For the love of god," he muttered under his breath. "This is the last time." He stood angrily, thoroughly ignoring the pain in his chest, and headed to the wall to plug it in, his movements radiating irritation. "This is the _last_ time I rely on electric power for _anything_. I was going to replace it with a nuclear battery before I left, but thought there was no reason I to; calculated everything out but all the time I wasted in Ireland and Hecate's power trip..." He shook his head again in irritation as he turned his phone off, then raised the charger to connect it to the old, cheap outlet.

And then he was shocked.

The weak electric current sparked from the wires to his body and left him frozen. His hand jerked and his back shot up ramrod straight; his features went slack and his eyes lost focus.

And then it was over.

When the electric current finally failed and left him standing there and holding his burned finger tightly, he remained silent for several moments before nodding happily and stretching. "Ah, tis a wondrous day to finally be free of the iron chains of the mind. That traitor Hecate and the coward Artemis can hold me back no longer. Now, to find my fair maiden."

And Orion turned and walked right out the door, leaving Artemis's phone behind, about to search the city of London for an elf who was currently underground and had no idea he even existed.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you for reviewing!

* * *

_September 13th, 2006, Fowl Manor_

"So, Commander? Are you ready to tell us _now_ why you hightailed it over here at the first mention of Artemis hearing voices? Or are you still going to keep us in the dark for a bit? You know, because we're not on a time limit or anything here."

For once, Trouble didn't respond to Foaly's ribbing. He just sat and kept on staring into the empty air where there had previously been a hologram of Artemis's v-diaries, the blood drained from his face, his expression empty. Holly swallowed back a rapidly coalescing ball of uneasiness and tried not to read more into this than necessary; just because he was sitting there like he'd just watched the beginnings of an apocalypse didn't mean anything. _Artemis is still okay... it's not as bad as it looks..._

Trouble remained staring and silent for one more moment, and then rose and turned his back. Holly blinked at his uncharacteristic motion- when he turned away rather than face them, kept silent rather than give orders; it wasn't right. Trouble didn't become speechless, he didn't get shocked... one of the few constants she had found with Trouble over the years was the very little could surprise him.

And it only reaffirmed the notion that _This. Was. Bad._

"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room. Very, very few fairies know about this and it is important that it remain that way. Even you, No1. I know you like to talk, but about this? There will be very serious consequences if you do, most powerful demon warlock or not."

Holly stared.

_Trouble's threatening one of us his best assets? Trouble is threatening one of his BEST ASSETS?!_

Foaly, meanwhile, chose to vocalize his doubts rather than keep silent. With a nervous laugh, he began, his eyes jumping from Trouble to Holly as if looking for support. "Come on, Trouble. My security clearance is up there with yours and the only national secret that's kept this classified is the deal with Koboi and her time traveling. Stop harping on like it's some deep, dark secret; I'm sure it's not that bad."

In normal circumstances, this would've earned Foaly a scathing glare. It did. What was surprising was that there wasn't a tongue lashing to go along with it.

Holly shivered.

Nope, definitely no tongue lashing. Instead of hurling insults and threats of violence, Trouble just met Foaly's eyes and shook his head in one slow motion. "On the contrary, this is _very_ bad. I don't think things could get much worse."

Even Foaly looked uneasy by this point, but the centaur still tried to keep up false pretenses of normalcy, even when Holly had long ago given up in that regard. "Oh, seriously?" he laughed. "Things can get worse than they are now? Really now, Trouble-"

"Foaly, I don't even blame Fowl for this, after what I've just learned. Does that tell you something?"

And there was the final nail in the coffin. If Artemis was anything to Trouble, he was his favorite scapegoat. For him to change his tune now... _something is very, very bad._

Foaly appeared to more than share her sentiments, his eyes wide in surprise, features overwritten by shock. "But… you blame him for _everything_, Trouble," he stammered. "Even things that have nothing to do with him. …Gods, what aren't you telling us?"

The commander looked between them hesitantly, dark eyes filled with wariness and uncertainty. After a few long moments of scrutiny, he nodded swiftly at them and turned to shut the door, as if someone could be listening in on their conversation, and even locked it for good measure. He held still for a long moment, his back still turned and his hand on the door, form stiff and tension drawn so tight it was almost palpable. Finally, at length, the commander cleared his throat and began.

"There is a… form of magic that isn't very well known. In fact, it's kept secret. The acting commander of LEP, the Council, and a few warlocks who discovered it on their own are aware of it- that is all. This is the first instance of it becoming a problem since the Battle of Taillte; no one but warlocks have magic strong enough to pull it off, and even then, it's rare. Most never come close to possessing such power."

Holly swallowed. Trouble spoke with an air of seriousness that had curbed even Foaly's ability to remained detached; she was already emotionally invested enough in this for his voice to send his spirits plummeting and put her nerves on edge. _I don't like where this is headed. _

"It is called Anexche. You could call it a form of the _mesmer_, but you would be wrong to do underestimate it as such. This is much more powerful. You don't have to have eye contact- or even be in the same room- as your victim. Particularly strong individuals can resist for short periods of time, but we theorized that no one could hold out forever. You use magic to get into someone's very mind, to make them think things… you would appear as just _a voice in their head._"

Holly gasped. The words hit her like a sucker punch to the gut and she twisted to fully face her commander in horror. _A voice in their head..._

_A voice in his... _

_Oh, gods. _

"S-so... so Artemis wasn't losing his mind… someone was _making_ him do this?!"

_Oh my gods, Artemis._

"Exactly."

A seed of rage blossomed up inside of her, expanding petals of fury spreading to wrap around her limbs, her torso, her _heart_, and the deep well of just how much she could take overflowed. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, a terrible, encompassing anger cloaking her and making her shake.

It was one thing to know that Artemis was sick.

It was another to know that someone was _making_ him that way.

"Well, almost," Trouble began to elaborate, but not before he sent a dark, controlled look in her direction that said to _calm down. _She clenched her hands tighter, as if grasping the reins to the fury racing wild in her veins, and forced a nod, and the commander continued. "There have been no documented uses of Anexche on someone in thousands of years, and no documented uses of it being used on _humans_ in recorded history. So, everyone, take all of this with a grain of salt. Now- Anexche supposedly causes the victim to fall ill, almost like a permanent case of the flu- but it grows worse once the Anexche has ended, and whoever was using magic on them stops. Migraines, recurrent seizures- very bad stuff. But I have no idea what the number compulsions were about, or the paranoia. I suppose he could've gotten paranoid from the fact that he thought he was going insane- and for good reason- and whatever it was that voice was telling him, but the number compulsions have nothing to do with Anexche."

Butler didn't even give them time to process that before he jumped on the tail of Trouble's words, his eyes narrowed as he looked from the commander to the centaur. "Wait a minute- Foaly! Didn't you say something earlier about you knew about a disease that could cause the numbers thing? Atlantic something?"

"Atlantis Complex!" Foaly exclaimed, snapping his fingers with success. "Yes! Oh my gods… that has to be it. He developed Atlantis Complex… and someone attacked his mind with this Anexche. The reason I couldn't explain the voice but could the number compulsions is because he _did_ have Atlantis- that just wasn't all he had! Gods… no wonder Artemis couldn't resist whomever's behind this. He actually was losing his mind."

A stab of sympathy pierced the wall of anger now, and Holly bit her lip, unable to tear the emotional roots digging their way into the ground and keep herself detached. Gods, Foaly was right. Artemis hadn't just been paranoid... with a voice whispering in his head all the things he didn't need to hear- it was no wonder this had ended the way it did.

_Gods, Artemis- I am so sorry._

"He still is, Foaly." Butler's serious voice cut into the dark silence, slicing through it like a katana through stone. Holly looked to him, then was nearly taken aback by the look on his face- a few parts cautious, a few more parts angled on retribution, revenge- and all parts anxious beyond simply concern. The man was worried out of his mind for Artemis- and was far past caring if they could see it on his face.

_Hell, aren't we all. _

"We need to get back in time and stop Artemis from carrying out his plan," Butler said simply. "If he is really this far out of it, he won't realize what the consequences of his actions are- or he will, and he just won't care. I know him. If he considers something collateral damage then he'll be able to ignore it- it won't weigh on his conscience. Or, at least, until after the operation is over," Butler amended quickly. "We have to stop him before he does something he'll regret."

"Wait- wait, everybody just stop!" Holly cried. Was she really the only one not considering the critical point here? "This wasn't Artemis's idea! What about who's behind this? _Someone's_ clearly pulling the strings here!"

Foaly frowned. "Terrorist groups, maybe? They always like to stir things up. The widespread chaos is a telltale sign of their involvement, definitely- and they always love to hate on humans. Trouble? What groups have been active recently, again?"

But the commander just shook his head. It was clear he had already reached the same conclusion they had as he turned to her, mouth set in a frown. "Both of you, we don't have time to find out who. From what Foaly's told me, we only have another three days until this time stop ends and when it does, there's a very high chance we'll be dead in a nuclear explosion. We need to get that kid back into the present before he does any damage in the past- then we can worry about finding who's really responsible for this."

"Oh, yes," Foaly muttered, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Because creating a time tunnel is just plain _easy_."

Trouble rounded on him, snapping from calm to positively livid in two seconds flat. "Unlike some people, I actually _try to accomplish things _instead of just _complaining about them_-"

"And unlike _you_, I'm not an idiot! Whoever is behind this 'Anexche' mess is smart. They are not going to just be thrilled that their plan failed and skip off into the sunset. They are still a very real, very _dangerous_ threat. We need to take advantage of the three days we have left to find them. Oh, yeah, and there's the small problem of the only person with enough magic to create a time tunnel being _underground!_ If whoever set this all up sees Qwan entering the time stop, they'll know what we plan to do and that we've figured out their plan. It's too dangerous to proceed with getting Artemis back before we've discovered who is behind this and caught them!"

Trouble sent a scathing glare in Foaly's direction before turning out the window at the bright blue aura that was the telltale sign of a time stop. "We still haven't found what's powering that thing! Whoever used the Anexche certainly knows, though, and will probably end the time stop once he realizes we're onto him! We need to get a team into the past as soon as possible so this time stop can end as peacefully as possible."

Trouble and Foaly glared at each other and had, once again, created one of their stand offs before an exasperated Holly decided to intervene to stop it form coming to blows. "We all want the same things here, and we don't have time for you two to argue."

Shaking his head, the commander pulled away from the staring match, grabbed his helmet, and headed towards the door. "I'm headed to outside the time stop to get Qwan up here. It needs my sign off to get a demon warlock on the surface, otherwise I'd just call the communications officer at the border of the time stop. When Qwan gets to Tara, I'll keep him there, but not forever, Foaly. It's still your task to find out whomever's responsible for the Anexche. You and Holly better do your jobs, because I have no intention of dying in a nuclear explosion."

They all watched the commander hurry out the door, already in a rush to start the operation, leaving them staring at an empty doorway in a short-lived silence. Then Foaly suddenly swore, walking forward to stand in the middle of the recently vacated doorway before turning to look back at them, shaking his head in irritation.

"Foaly?" Holly asked when he said nothing more. "What'd you figure out now?"

"He was trying to tell us… The D'Arviting Mud Boy tried to tell us and we just didn't realize it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"His voice identification phrase to get into his lab- '_Dea Diana uni in hac fabulā servit._.' That's Latin for 'Goddess Diana serves one in this _myth_. I didn't realize it at the time; I translated it as 'This _goddess Diana_ serves one in the myth- I didn't realize he was referring to his life. Goddess Diana- Diana is the Roman version of the Greek goddess Artemis! Oh my gods…"

"Artemis tried to say he was being forced to follow someone's orders… and we just didn't realize it," Holly whispered. She stared back at Foaly and knew the horror she saw there was mirrored in her own expression. She managed to hold his gaze for just a moment, and then, her already thin patience snapped, and she whirled to the wall to slam her fist against the wall. "D'Arvit! This has been going on for almost _three months_ and none of us realized it?! How could none of us have realized?!"

The silence that answered her told the story.

They shouldn't have missed it.

Something was wrong, blatantly, obviously, horrifically wrong, and they had _missed it entirely. _Blown it off as eccentric Artemis being eccentric, as boy genius being busy boy genius- as _Artemis being Artemis. _

None of them had questioned the human. The human, their adversary, their _friend. _

_I asked him if he was okay. He wasn't. He lied and said he was._

_And I let him lie._

Melancholy silence was then shattered by good, solid determination. Butler stepped forward into the middle of the group and turned to look around at them all. He gestured at the lab, the site of where Artemis had disappeared, and visibly shook off the pallor Foaly's discovery had cast on them all. "That's not the point, Holly. Everybody, that's not the point. Maybe we should've picked up on something before now, but we can't change that! We're not going to start moping or complaining or these shouldawouldacouldas now. Our only priority needs to be getting Artemis back to the present. That's it. And that means we have to find out whoever was doing this _Anexche_ thing on him, and do it fast."

It was hard for Holly to hear Butler's words and not call him out on hypocrisy. She knew him well enough to know that Butler would be beating himself up right now more than any of them- Artemis was _their_ friend, but he was _his_ charge. His responsibility. His _duty_ to keep Artemis safe.

_If we're taking it hard, then he's..._

But Butler was right. Regrets weren't going to bring Artemis back and find who was responsible, and so, right now, regrets were nothing but a distraction.

_I'll regret later. Right now, I'll fix this. _

Foaly seemed to share her sentiments, when he nodded quickly and grinned- and whether the expression was forced or not was irrelevant. "Right. Let's get back to work, all of us. I'm gong to take a closer look at that machine, now that we know more of what's going on. Someone was clearly influencing Artemis when he built it; maybe we can use that to backtrack to whomever's responsible."

"And we can work together, Butler- anyone with motive. Brainstorm. Based off Commander told us I would say we should rule any humans, but, well- this whole situation was been one big surprise from the beginning. I don't want to rule anyone out," Holly said, gesturing for him to follow as she walked over to Artemis's abandoned ring.

"Wait! What should I do?" No1 asked, looking around uncertainly at his friends.

It was Foaly who beckoned for him to follow. "Come on, No1. You're going to educate me on time tunnels. I'm still not entirely sure it'll work in a time stop and I need your help to figure out if it will."

Holly chuckled. "Look at that, No1- Foaly admitting you need to teach him something. You should take a picture to commemorate the moment."

Foaly sent a teasing glare in her direction. "Captain, you watch it. Or I'll tell Trouble the _real_ reason that you like to swing by this place so often."

Holly smiled at Foaly's usual threat to inform the Commander that she and Artemis were 'in love', but it was forced. Somehow, when someone was making her friend lose his mind and had forced him into the past, it didn't seem as funny. "Go on, Foaly. We all have work to do."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

* * *

_December 05, 1998, London_

"Fair maiden, have you seen sign of Princess Holly? I'm searching for her; we must build a bivouac in the midst of all this destruction before something terrible happens to her."

The woman stared at him like he was absolutely insane for a brief moment, then smiled without a knowing laugh and looked around with a sly grin. "I know what this is- this is a prank for a TV show, right?"

Orion frowned. "What's a TV? But no, I am no jester. I'm just searching for my fair Holly. Have you heard or seen any sign of her?"

"…What? Hey, can't you just pop out with your cameras already? You're weird. Whoever writes your scripts is pretty good."

"Writes my scripts… Miss, I just must get my princess to a bivouac in the midst of the chaos. Tell me, have you heard of her?"

The woman stared blankly at him, then sighed and nodded, clearly disappointed. "Oh. I'm not on TV. You're just a nut."

"I object to that statement, miss. I do not grow on a tree!"

"What? No, a nut_case_- you know, insane? Never mind, I have better things to do." She turned on her heel and began to walk away, ignoring Orion calling out to her.

"Wait!" he cried. "I'm not crazy! Artemis is!" The woman didn't even turn, and Orion sighed, dejected. "Will I ever find my fair maiden in this monstrous city?"

* * *

Artemis groggily sat upright, rubbing his head, and looked around to see what appeared to be his delusional mind office once again. Orion was watching Hecate's progress, his back to him. _Well, this is bloody wonderful. _Artemis slowly got to his feet and walked over to the monitor, looking up at it as well. It was still unsettling to be looking at his exact twin. "It's not wonderful to see you again, Orion. What's our friend Hecate been up to?"

Orion swiveled in his chair, forgoing any sort of greeting in favor of simply piercing him with a scathing glare. Blue and gold were narrow in a display of raw hatred, so sudden it shocked Artemis into silence. "I have been up to little, since you cheated your way back in control, you coward," he snapped, voice as icy as his skin was pale.

Artemis frowned back. "That's lovely, Orion, but I'm not interested in what you… wait. _You're_ Hecate?!"

The man nodded sharply and stood, gesturing at the screen with a fluid motion and hissing, "You are a fool, you know that? If you had just left me in control, than that romantic fool wouldn't be running all over the city of London, jeopardizing my mission."

"Wha- _your_ mission?! Just what the bloody hell is your mission, exactly, to terrorize the city? You almost killed that child on the ferry and you assaulted the one in Liverpool!"

Hecate shrugged coolly. "_My_ mission is none of your concern, Artemis. As for those two, they were nothing… I am surprised, however, that you aren't more upset about the woman on the ferry. Didn't you recognize her?"

"No- you had a fever and the screen was blurry; almost like the reception was bad…" Artemis trailed off as the implications of what Hecate had said hit him, then let out a silent gasp. _The woman on the ferry..._ His blood ran cold, and a numb feeling of fear started to rise in his stomach. "W-why? Who was she?"

Hecate gave a nonchalant shrug. "Oh, I don't know," he said airily. "I have no idea who she was. But I think you do, Artemis. You remembered something about... _her kind_, after all."

The way Hecate sneered _her kind _in distaste, as if it were a bad morsel of food he wanted out of his mouth as soon as possible- the expression on his face... whatever Hecate knew- whatever it was he knew-

_This is bad. _

_...Worse than I thought it was._

Artemis moved when Hecate just laughed coldly and turned to watch Orion's progress, turning in front of him and blocking his view. "Who was she, Hecate?! What kind do you mean?!"

He chuckled. "Oh, that is none of your concern. If you didn't recognize her, at any rate, surely I was mistaken in thinking you would know-"

"Hecate! You- you _killed _someone! Using _my_ body! It is my bloody _concern!_"

"It's not _your _body, Artemis, it's mine. You just seem to enjoy living under the delusion that you are in control. You are nothing but a coward afraid of the number four."

Artemis glared at him- and blinked when the number had no affect on him whatsoever- but he had more important things on his mind. It was a liberating thing, surely, to simply be able to hear a number and not react with panic- but he was trapped in the same room with his sociopathic twin while his body walked around London in a romantic fantasy. _Now was the time for panic. _

He grabbed Hecate by the shirt and yanked him upright, forgoing any attempt at something that might actually work through sheer desperation. "_Who was she?!_"

Hecate stared dully at the hand holding his shirt before slowly looking back up at Artemis, a delicate eyebrow raised, his eyes narrow in surprise. And then, with absolutely no sense of hurry, he reached up, wrapped slim fingers around Artemis's wrist, and broke it.

The pain wasn't bad, but it came out of literally nowhere. One moment, Hecate was holding Artemis's hand in place, and the next, he had bent and twisted and forced, and there was a cracking sound, and then his arm was overtaken in an icy, frigid kind of ache. Artemis only knew it was a break because he had experienced this kind of pain before, and the fact surprised him so much he stood there frozen, staring down at his wrist in disbelief.

The shock only lasted for a split second. That was more than enough time for Hecate to reverse their positions, twisting out of Artemis's grip and whirling him around to force him into the chair, and he sat trapped beneath Hecate powerless to do anything but stare. "Listen here, you coward," he snarled. "You are a genius. You know the capital of Poland, what thirty-two multiplied by seven is, and how a gun is made. I _listened_ when you tuned out during your Butler's instructions. _I_ know what the preferred style of fighting in Poland is, how to kill you thirty-two times seven different ways, and how to shoot. No matter how big your brain is, I do not have to tolerate you trying to strong-arm or threaten me- nor will I. Understand?"

And in that moment, Artemis wanted nothing more than to nod, be silent, and submit to Hecate.

It wasn't the meant-to-be intimidating speech; he heard a dozen and one of those and then just turned around to laugh and show his full hand. Those didn't _scare him. _Hecate's words had nothing to do with it.

It was Hecate's expression that sold it.

His features were gaunt and terrifying. White as chalk, so unhealthily pale it was almost lit by a sickly glow, and stretched tight over high cheekbones in a show of malnourishment. Hard, mismatched eyes bored into his own, one a dark blue cast in familiar ice, the other a once warm hazel turned cold, any flickers of emotion eradicated there and in the firm set of his lips. His dark hair cast a shadow over his expression, but by no means obscured the solid confidence, determination, and authority he saw there.

Hecate expected his orders to be followed. And he was willing to go any lengths to ensure that they were- and any lengths to punish if they were not.

Artemis was still not one to be intimidated. Fancy words, scary expressions- those would never even come close.

What made Hecate's play work was the fact that he looked exactly. Like. Him.

Artemis was staring in a mirror and he didn't like what he saw.


	10. Chapter 10

Oh, hell. I forgot to delete one of my notes from the last chapter :/ I'm... not smart at all. Edited out now. Guh.

Thank you for reviewing!

* * *

September_ 13, 2006, Fowl Manor_

"Aha. Keep talking, keep talking."

And No1 continued explaining the mathematical elements of time travel while the centaur moved around Artemis's machine, this time with the knowledge that a fairy had controlled him while he was building it.

When No1 started waxing eloquent about the beauties of the romantic time tunnel, Foaly cut him off. "Okay, I see I've reached the limit of your knowledge. That, and inter dimensional travel while examining state of the art technology for energy usage patterns is hard, even for me."

No1 pouted. "It's nice to feel useful, Foaly… are you sure you don't have any more questions for me?"

Foaly sighed. "No offense, No1, but Qwan knows more of this than you do. He's a full on warlock; you're a warlock in training. I need someone who can explain the mechanics of the time tunnel to me. Besides, I still need to find out _what_ in Frond's name is powering this machine. Now I understand why it's predominantly fairy in design, but that's still not explaining everything… oh, if only I could get this thing back to my lab. Then all its secrets would be revealed…" he sighed in dejection, then, after a moment of thought, turned back to No1 and grinned. "Okay, you want to feel useful? I have a job for you; be my soundboard. I'll bounce ideas off you."

"But… I don't know the slightest thing about any of this stuff."

"That's fine. Neither do most of the people I talk to. Now… if I were a power generator, where would I be? Or perhaps, where would Artemis _put_ me, because he never goes with obvious solution…"

"I hope you were not expecting a response to that, Mr. Power Generator."

"Not out in the open… I would have seen it by now. But then, Artemis was hardly in his right mind when he built this thing… perhaps he wasn't thinking ahead to when I would be examining it and only cared for what would be most convenient for him. In which case…" Foaly turned around in a slow circle, examining his surroundings carefully before he focused on a small aspect of the machine that he had overlooked until now, mostly because it had seemed too obvious. "Oh, no… Mud Boy, that's devious. Even for you, that's…" Foaly trailed off as he walked forward to examine the abnormality. It was where fairies usually located the sources of power for machines, in the heart of the device, where magic naturally migrated.

Could he have been so occupied searching for hidden sources of energy... that the one in plain sight had gone unnoticed?

Foaly moved forward, feeling (a bit like an idiot) the smooth metal with an experienced hand, tracing it for anything unnatural. He hesitated when he felt a slight heat beneath his palm and knocked lightly against the surface. "Here," he murmured. "It's hollow here. D'Arvit, you're a clever Mud Boy, Artemis." He paused, then called, "Holly, I could use your help in here. Now, please."

The elf came to his side a few moments later, peering over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"I need to borrow your weapon. My tools are all underground and I think I've finally figured what makes this thing tick- literally."

"I don't know… shooting a gun at this thing? After what it did? Won't that make it blowup?"

Foaly groaned. "Holly, not everything is a sic-fi movie. If you would lend me your Neutrino, I could demonstrate."

She shrugged and handed it to him, and he promptly turned down the settings, took a few large steps back, aimed, and fired. He let the weak laser blast continue for a few short seconds before he stopped and handed it back to her, then slapped the now weakened metal several times until it crumpled in. "And there is is. My elusive little generator. Why were you hiding in there, hm? Were you afraid of Uncle Foaly?"

"Good lord, Foaly, you need to get a life. Or perhaps see a therapist. 'Uncle Foaly'? Are you serious?"

"Meanwhile, I get paid twice as much as you and have a wife. Excuse me." Foaly reached into the dark confines of the machine and pulled out what looked like a lead box. "Here was the problem!" he exclaimed, lugging it over to a table and slamming it down. "No wonder my sensors couldn't pick up an exact source for the radiating energy. The lead here was distorting it. Artemis is cleverer insane than I gave him credit for… well, perhaps whoever was controlling him thought up this. Who knows."

"Well you shut up and just open it already?"

"Under-appreciated, underpaid, under-"

"_Foaly!_"

"Okay, okay." Foaly hesitantly tried to open the box, then blinked when he was able to crack it open without resistance. "No locks or traps. Our paranoid human friend isn't quite as paranoid as we thought, huh?"

"Will you just… _what_ in Frond's name is _that?!_"

In opening the box, Foaly had revealed a shimmering blue orb, one that was about as large as a head and glowed so brightly it hurt to look directly at it. It looked almost like magic- but such a pure concentration of which neither of them had ever seen before. Ancient demon runes hovered in electric blue over the wavering surface and orbited around the sphere slowly, glowing in an ethereal light.

For one of the first times in his life, Foaly had no idea what to say.

* * *

_December 05, 1998, ?_

"Bloody coward," Hecate murmured, for what had to be the tenth time this hour, when Orion went about searching for materials with which to build a bivouac with. "This is _your_ fault, _Artemis._" He hissed loudly in distaste, and Artemis sent a sullen glare back in his direction.

"You are a human being, not a snake. It's not becoming for you to- god, what am I saying, you're not a _human_. You don't even exist."

"Well, I think that _poor girl _I scared back in Liverpool might have a different opinion." He grinned- well, he showed his teeth, Artemis wasn't quite sure if he could call the expression on his face a smile- and shrugged. "But think what you like."

Artemis shuddered in revulsion. _And I thought I had the apathetic game down pat... _"I can not believe how callous and unfeeling you are. If you are truly an alternate personality of mine, then you get _all_ of your attributes from me. But you… you didn't even seem to care."

Hecate shrugged easily. "I didn't care. But I did get everything from you; I took your few good qualities and refined them. And, really, Artemis? I seem to recall the time you kidnapped a fairy for the money. Locked her in your basement and used her to extort money from her people."

Artemis gritted his teeth and remained silent. Hecate had managed to hit him right in the only spot where it hurt, and he was left at loss for words if he still wanted to come out on top of this argument. "That..." he finally managed, his insides twisted into a knot, "that was different. I… I didn't see fairies as people then." _And what now? You're going to such great lengths just to get rid of them... _

He shook his head at himself. They were the ones who had started this off by treating him as nothing more than a lab rat. If that was how they wanted to play, then that was how it would go. There was no reason to feel guilty about it.

And he wasn't about to let _Hecate_, of all people, try and force that emotion on him anyway.

He turned back to his alter, swinging the topic of discussion from his own past misdeeds to Hecate himself. "And how did you know about that?" he pressed, insistent. "That was years ago."

"Unlike Orion, who preferred to dream of ways to woo his fair maiden, I _listened_," Hecate said flatly, with a gesture to punctuate his words. "You mentioned it more than once when you were talking to yourself. Which, I might add, is not a wise course of action, considering that the fairies are plotting your demise."

He grimaced sourly. He'd been worried about the fairies listening on what he said; now turns out, the voices in his head had been, too. "Hecate, first of all, I was not simply talking to myself; those were recorded as video-diaries. Second of all, you are a sociopath. The fairies have saved my life countless times- yet I'm sure you would murder them all if you had the chance, wouldn't you?"

"No, of course not. Magic could grant me limitless power, and they do have ingenious technology." Hecate smiled wistfully and nodded. "I would spare a few. Such as that Foaly and Opal you seemed to constantly worry about. I'm sure they would be of great use to me."

Artemis glowered at him, his anger rising, then let out a calming breath and shook his head. Hecate was probably just playing mind games, if he even existed at all. There was no point in continuing this discussion. "I don't know why I'm speaking with you," he told the other coldly, keeping his eyes focused on the monitor. "This is all a hallucination. Speaking with you means I believe you are real, and that simply fosters the insanity."

"On the contrary, Artemis," Hecate said lightly, and Artemis just knew he was grinning, "speaking with me means that you acknowledge that you have, in fact, lost your mind, and you just don't see the point in pretending you haven't. That is psychologically healthy. Of course, none of this matters, anyway. I'll soon find a way to take charge permanently, and rid myself of your irksome company and Orion's even more tiring romantic thoughts."

Artemis narrowed his eyes. Such a shocking plot twist. Too bad Hecate was only jumping on the train he had already started. "You believe what you like, Hecate; you are wrong. My soul and body are a perfect fit. You- I seriously doubt that you even have a soul. You can't take up permanent residence here."

"It is you who is wrong, Artemis. We are all a part of each other- regrettably, you and Orion are a part of me. And one of us must be dominant while the other two must be recessive. Such is the way of life."

"No. I must exist, and you two must be eradicated."

"Oh, Artemis, so foolish, as always. You can not eradicate parts of your personality!" Hecate laughed slightly, his voice taking on a mocking tone, as if he were the teacher and Artemis were the young, mentally challenged student, and he continued on- clearly deriving great glee from the argument. "And, surely, you must realize that if you hate me, you must also hate yourself? Now, _that's_ not very healthy."

_And I'm being told this by a sociopath? I think I should be insulted. _"I'm sure you care a good deal about what's healthy and what's not," Artemis snapped back, still not once looking away from Orion to deign to give Hecate even a glare.

Not that this deterred him, of course. Hecate continued on without heed for his lackluster responses, voice still an odd mix of deliberately cheerful and mocking. "I don't. According to you, I have no conscience- which, I suppose, could be true. It would certainly be interesting. But I'm just making conversation, Artemis. Given a choice between conversing with you and watching Orion traipse throughout London searching for his princess, I choose you. But, I'm caught between a rock and a hard place."

"You're not as superior as you seem to believe, Hecate. And once I finish my mission in the past, I'll find some way to get rid of you- permanently."

Hecate laughed lightly again. "So naive, Artemis. It's always a pleasure talking with a child such as yourself. Do tell me, what do you want for your birthday this year? A pony? Are you going to invite all your classmates to come so you can play pin the tail on the noble steed, as Orion would say? How old are you turning this year again, six?"

Artemis clenched his hands into fists, let out a tense breath, and kept himself focused on Orion rather than snide and confident Hecate.

* * *

It started with a low ache.

Then a more defined stinging, and then that matured into a burning pain that encompassed his entire calf. Orion finally just gave up and limped along the street to sit at a bench, unable to take it anymore. It felt like someone had stabbed him with a poisoned blade and left it buried in his flesh- and if he took one more step, he felt that the strangled cry building in his throat wouldn't be held back anymore.

When at least he was sitting down, the tightness of his throat relaxed and he was able to breathe, but the terrible burn kept on raging up his calf, and he gasped. It took a few long moments of hard, panting breaths for him to regain any semblance of control, and then, another second before his hand had stopped shaking enough for him to roll up his pants leg. With another deep breath, Orion braced himself mentally and looked down- already prepared for the worst.

What he saw was the injury he had seen Artemis himself cause after he had arrived in the past to find that cloth and skin had been forged into one. At the time, Orion and Hecate had watched it go from being a bloody, grotesque mess to the injury being wrapped in pristine white bandages that didn't appear to be all that serious.

Now, however, blood had soaked through and was dripping slowly but steadily onto his foot. When he hesitantly touched the gauze, hot pain radiated from the point he touched and he groaned in pain, yanking his hand back. It had felt damp with blood and it was _agonizing._

Orion hesitated, trying to contemplate his options while at the same time not screaming from pain. He had to find Holly, but he was in a friendly city. He needed to see a doctor, certainly, but had no money except for the paper that he had left back in Artemis's room, as he had had no use for it.

"N-no matter!" he managed weakly, carefully withdrawing his shaking hands and allowing his pants leg to fall, obscuring the injury from view. "I am a knight! Surely, someone, with their merciful heart, will have the grace to heal me."

* * *

"Oh my god, I can't believe he's doing this," Artemis moaned, while Hecate stared at the screen in disgust.

"You and I both."

Artemis groaned and slammed his fist down on the table in frustration when Orion continued on his hopeless search. "You bloody moron! There is anesthesia _in your pocket!_ You need to get back to _my_ hotel room and stop moving! You're not supposed to be walking on that thing anyway!"

"Oh, yes, and you provided him with a good example. I didn't see you getting bed rest or, at the very least, using a pair of crutches."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was setting an example for my alternate personality! Who, by the way, might as well be three years old for all the brilliance he's shown so far."

Hecate laughed while Orion limped down the street, asking everyone he ran into if they were a doctor, while Artemis groaned again and buried his head in his hands. "Oh, god, please don't start showing people your leg… the last thing I need is to find videos of a crazy man in London showing his hacked up leg to everybody on the internet in the present."

Hecate chuckled. "Don't look now, but I don't think that's all you have to worry about."

"What?" Artemis looked up at the screen, stared at it for several seconds, dumbfounded, then just threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "I really don't think this situation could get any worse. Is it any wonder I'm paranoid, when things like _this_ always seem to happen?!"

* * *

Orion had just limped his way around the corner when he ran smack dab into somebody else.

The impact came out of nowhere and sent a jarring pain down his leg, and he let out a shocked gasp, the hot agony flooding his chest and expelling his breath. He almost collapsed, barely managing to catch himself on the side of the building before he hit the ground, and gasped again as his vision flashed red. _Oh, ow, damn it, ow, ow, owwww... _

He hissed out a pained apology once he could breathe again, his vision still a crimson haze, all he could see of the man still standing in front of him his aura of importance and impatience. Orion carefully raised his head, breathing through clenched teeth, to look up at the man he'd run into.

He was tall, pale, dressed in a black suit, and had dark, neatly parted hair.

His eyes were a piercing blue that were as cold as ice.

Oh, right- and he looked almost _exactly like him. _

Orion slowly withdrew, still keeping a cautious hand against the side of the building to hold himself up, the pain in his leg suddenly not such a crisis as he prepared to run. There were some differences, of course; the eyes were the wrong color, and he looked a little older; his stern features were more developed than Orion thought they should be and even so, weren't absolutely identical- but a contorted mirror image was still a mirror image. Whatever sorcery this was, he wanted no part of it- he'd had enough of such things with Hecate.

His twin was staring at him, utter confusion written across his features, but Orion wasn't about to let himself be fooled by any supposed lack of malice- he had to get out of here, before whatever had created another almost identical mirror image came and made this even worse. When he stood once again, his rising suspicions were given a sharp jolt of credibility- one he really could've done without. Behind his near twin stood a hulking mountain of a man- for heaven's sake, he looked as if he could hold his own against an entire cavalry! Was there no limit to his mysterious adversary's capabilities?

The sight of his new enemy had Orion absolutely certain he wanted out of here. With another swift, ragged breath, he tried to move back, get as much distance between him and those people as possible- and then, the hulking monster of a man was by his friend's side. In less than a second the man had moved that quick almost silently; Orion flinched again and took another trembling step back- and the man pursued him with an evenly matched pace.

"Who are you?"

Orion took another shaky step back at the dark, rumbling tones and slowly shook his head. "I- I'm Orion. Sir, I'm just looking for-"

"Orion who?"

He fell silent when the big one abruptly cut him off- and the hand the gripped something tight at his waist was no more encouraging than the powerful fist that looked about ready to swing. Coughing, he cleared his dry throat and managed, "Orion- well, Artemis-son, I suppose. I'm not really his son, but he is the closet thing I have to a bloodline." It was the truth, after all- all he could think to say now, since lies would probably only make this worse.

It was also apparently the wrong thing to say.

The menacing one's eyes narrowed, and the well-dressed one by his side turned from surprised to distrustful. Orion took in an uncertain breath and tried to move another step back- before the leader had sent his muscles man forward with nothing but a wave of his hand, and Orion had found himself lifted up into the air by his collar and slammed back against the wall with a hand around his throat.

"Listen here, 'Orion'. I don't know what game you're playing, but I am a Butler, and I work for Mr. Fowl. Do you know what that means?"

Orion tried to kick at him, but the man's arms were long enough that he was out of range, and his grip was just tight enough to make it hard to breathe. He gasped in a wheeze, sending a desperate look around the street, but no one else seemed very interested at all at intervening on his behalf. One nervous glance at the huge threat was all it took to send them scurrying away.

_Another butler- and he works for Mr. Fowl- AND that one looks like Artemis-!_

_It's ARTEMIS! _

_Why in God's name are there two of us?! _

"You- you're- butler, I know you-"

"No, you absolute _fool_," the butler snarled in Orion's face. "I am from the Butler _family_. I am a blue diamond. But enough about me. Let's talk about you- like the fact that you have three seconds to tell me who you really are and who you're working for. Did the Russians send you?"

He tried to shake his head, but the man's fingers were too tight. "No! I don't know what a Russian is- but I'm not an enemy- I-"

The man's black eyes narrowed in such an intimidating glare that Orion's words died in his throat. When his mouth had gone dry and his voice had drained away into nothing, the butler continued on. "Stop playing. My boss has the resources and the money to make you disappear without a trace as pieces dropped in the Atlantic Ocean. So, if you like your head where it is, I think you should start talking."

"But… I don't have anything to say. I was just looking for a doctor-!"

"A wise choice. I think you'll need one when I'm finished with you."

Orion let out another gasp as the fingers squeezed again, struggling hard to get away from the butler. Never mind why were there two of him- why in God's name were they trying to kill him?! "Sir, what have I done to harm you? And have you no honor?! Give me a fighting chance! A sword and a shield would do-"

"I'm not going to ask again-"

"Wait, Butler," the slim man who had lingered back until now said. And, on command, the hulking intimidation machine fell silent- but the fingers kept on squeezing, even when the man who had to be Mr. Fowl walked forward to stand beside him again and peered at him curiously like he was some kind of experiment. "If this is a scheme by the Russians, it is a convoluted one. I think this youth may simply be mentally disturbed."

"I am _not_ mentally disturbed!" Orion coughed out, unable to help himself. "Arte- ack!"

"Mr. Fowl is speaking. You'd do best to curb your tongue."

He fell silent again- not that he had much of a choice- and Mr. Fowl continued, heedless to the interruption. "Butler, no one in their right mind would challenge you like this- I doubt even a Russian with a twisted sense of humor would. Yes, we look similar- but his eyes are different, and he's much younger. It must be just a coincidence."

"He knew your name, sir."

Mr. Fowl shrugged. "And the event tonight has been publicized. Butler, come on. Just because a crazy child that caught a few seconds of public radio decided to run into us doesn't mean we should put our whole plans on hold- whatever he looks like."

The butler hesitated a moment longer, and then, with a swift nod, let Orion fall to the ground and turned away. "You're right, sir. We don't need this as a distraction. Come on, we need to get you inside."

Orion stared after them while they headed inside the building, leaving him outside in the snow. He had half a mind to follow after them and challenge the butler to a duel, but with the black spots still obscuring his vision and the burning pain in his leg that had returned with a vengeance- he thought better of it.

* * *

"This is wonderful. My father surely will recognize me as the foolish boy who challenged his bodyguard to a duel."

"No, he won't. He hasn't yet."

Artemis glared sullenly at Hecate. "Unless I create a time split by changing matters now, my father remembers this encounter. Perhaps he has recognized the physical similarities between me and the boy he met on the streets of London ten years ago and just discounted it as a coincidence. Really, he as no other choices to choose from. Time travel is not something the normal person considers."

"Oh, that's right. You keep the fairies a secret from your family; my apologies, I simply forgot. And you accuse me of being a sociopath. Tell me, Artemis, is it easy, lying to them? Do you feel no guilt?"

Artemis continued to glare at him. He wasn't sure whether to be disturbed or not that Hecate didn't just know exactly what buttons to push- he seemed to draw a perverse joy out of doing it as many times in a conversation as possible. "My father and my brothers are the only ones who have no idea."

"Not through your own volition. Your mother discovered fairies through no action on your part. And I'm sure you will say that your brothers are simply too young to know about such a deep, dark, secret- well, what about when they're older? What are you going to do, call a family meeting and say, "Now, I know you'll think I've lost my mind, but I'm friends with fairies?'" At Artemis's dark look, Hecate smiled and shook his head. "Of course, how silly of me. Why would make plans that far into the future? We both know that we won't be alternating in who controls this body for long."

"Yes, exactly," Artemis said firmly. "I'll soon find a way to control you and stop this rapid personality shifts. You and Orion will be eradicated. Really, that speech was old the first time you made it."

Hecate sighed. "You've already made that threat, Artemis. I have yet to see you put it into action."

"Well, that's because _Orion_ is wondering about London challenging people to _duels!_"

"And what's your excuse next time? Because I'm taking over the second Orion's done."

Artemis's frustration rose, and he forced himself to just shake his head and not react more than that- that would only be handing another victory over to his nearly demonic alter. "Threaten all you like, Hecate. I have a something to do in the past, and you won't stop me."

Hecate just laughed. "Come on, Artemis. Even if you _do_ somehow thwart me and seize the reins once Orion inevitably fails and opens the door to one of us, do you really think you have it in you to do what you're proposing? Apparently, I don't have a conscience, but I've heard it can be quite a pesky thing, especially in situations like these. Won't you feel guilty about what you're doing?"

Artemis shook his head firmly, refusing to give Hecate even an inch. "No. I have no reason to feel guilty. I'm saving my father from being kidnapped. As for the fairies… they made me grow as sick as I am now. They are conspiring against me. Which is beside the point because I'm not hurting them in any way. I'm removing them from my life but in no way that will cause harm- to _anyone_."

"So says the voices in your head."

"The voice. It is one voice, singular. And I have reason to believe it."

Hecate laughed again. "You know, Artemis, people like you often find themselves heavily sedated or locked in a padded cell. I think it would be amusing to see your reaction to that. Or being in a straitjacket. Heh. The poor, insane genius, brought down so low. That would be a sight, don't you think?"

With an angry, grumbled version of a sigh, Artemis crossed his arms and returned his attention to Orion with one last look at Hecate.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you for reviewing!

* * *

_September 13 2006, Fowl Manor_

Foaly, Holly, No1, and Butler all stood together, gathered around the mysterious blue orb. No one wanted to touch it, or would even risk it; instead they remained in the safe occupation of staring down at it unblinkingly- looking but not touching- caught in web of uncertainty.

"There's no doubt about it," Foaly murmured. "That's what is powering the device."

"But what… is it? I've never seen anything like it before."

"I don't know, Holly. And I don't have the slightest idea about how Artemis built it."

They continued to stare down at the object in amazement until their ring was broken by Holly's retreat. She stumbled back out of the ring, steps uneven, and when Foaly turned around, he saw that her mismatched eyes were wide and almost unfocused. "Holly?" he asked in concern, looking at her closer "What's wrong?"

"I… I feel sick." Holly's slow steps took her to the wall and she leaned up against it, her eyes on the ground as she wrapped around a trembling arm around her chest. A moment later, No1 joined her, falling into a sitting position next to her and beginning to rock back and forth.

"I don't feel very well," he mumbled, his eyes fluttering open and shut. "Like… like I'm turning around and around and around…"

"Dizzy. You're dizzy?"

"No." The demon shook his head and pointed at his stomach. "No, here. Feel sick to my stomach…"

"Ditto," Holly agreed weakly.

No1 nodded. "Nauseous, queasy, unwell, emetic."

Foaly and Butler glanced uncertainly at each other when, suddenly, Holly's phone began to ring. The elf didn't look like she was in any condition to answer it, so Foaly brushed her reaching hand aside and answered it. "Ye-"

"What the _hell_ did you _do?!_"

"Oh, Trouble. Hello to you, too," Foally said cheerfully, holding the phone away from his ear in case Trouble decided to start yelling again. "And what can I do on this fine day in the time stop? Please say nothing, because I've already got my hands full-"

"Spare me! What did you _do_, Foaly?! The time-stop… it's _expanding_"

"You could give me a li… excuse me, what did you just say?"

"The time stop is growing!" Trouble yelled, and Foaly put the commander on speaker phone to save his ears. "It's already extended three meters and it's moving even faster! Whatever you did, _Un_do it! _now!_"

"But… that's impossible! A time stop can't grow! You'd have to move the towers, and that's only if-"

"Well, it's happening, Foaly! And LEP does not have the resources we need to keep up with it; we're stretched thin as it is and we're running short on fuel for the holograms. If this continue much longer, humans in Dublin are going to be wondering why there's a D'Arviting blue wall all around them and humans outside of the time stop are going to want to know why the city is deserted!"

Foaly looked around the room in a panic. Holly and No1 were still collapsed against the wall, Butler wasn't exactly going to be much help with this problem, and the blue orb was still glowing in the-

_The blue orb! _"Of course!" Foaly dashed back to the mysterious object and slammed the box shut, once again confining whatever the thing was to the dark depths of the lead container. "Did it stop?" he panted.

Trouble was silent for several moments, then let out a sigh of relief and said tiredly, "Yes, thank the gods. It's no longer expanding. So, let me guess- you found something?"

"Yeah, we did. I have no idea _what_, but we did find something."

Trouble groaned. "This day is only getting worse. Look, I'll be on my way as soon as I've straightened things out here. We're working a way to knock everything living in the time stop out at once to get all the humans back in the present. No one ran too many tests on Artemis's escape from the time stop ploy, so we don't know if it'll work…"

"But you're desperate… tell me about it. All right. Join us here soon, because we could use some help."

When Trouble hung up, Foaly turned back around to see Holly blinking blearily and rubbing her eyes and No1 beginning to calm down. He blinked in surprise. "You guys feeling better now?"

Holly nodded, seeming very confused, and took Butler's offered hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. "Yes, actually. What… what just happened? I felt like I was about to throw up, and then, suddenly…"

"I don't know." He gestured back at the lead box hiding the brilliant sapphire orb and said, "Whatever that is, it made the time stop expand and you feel ill. And I don't like the… like the…" _Wait a minute. When I opened the Pandora's box the time stop started expanding, and Holly and No1 felt sick. Time stops are pure magic... Holly and No1 are magical creatures... It even looked like magic..._

And, there was his answer.

"_Oh_," he breathed, the knowledge washing over him in a downfall of understanding. "Ooooh. I see... I see it now. That makes sense. _Now_ it makes sense!"

Holly and Butler exchanged tired looks, and the elf, clearly past the stage where she could be surprised, simply asked dully, "What happened this time? What'd you realize?"

"Something very important," he said, heedless for his companions' lack of enthusiasm. "That orb is magic, Holly. Pure, concentrated magic. The reason Trouble and the LEP can't find any towers for the time stop is because their _aren't_ any. The magic for it is all in this guy." He patted the lead box before gesturing at No1. "Most of it is probably his magic, from the machine that sucked it out of him; I could test it and find out, but that would require opening the box, and I think you'd all rather I not do that again. That's aside the point, though! The time stop is not a controlled dome set up between several towers. It's an unstable sphere emanating from that concentration of magic. When I opened the box, the lead was unable to dilute and distort the magical radiation, which is why the time stop began to expand and you two began to feel sick. You're both magical creatures, thus, you are more susceptible to such strong waves of magic than Butler and I."

Holly glanced nervously over at the black box and took a small step away from it. "So, does this help us at all?"

"Yes, it does, Holly. We already knew whoever this is had very powerful magic, because of the Anexche; but not many people could set this kind of contraption up, especially remotely through Artemis. They're very, very smart."

"Wait- you're saying that _thing_ is No1's magic?" Butler broke in, gesturing to the box. When the centaur nodded, he continued, "But that doesn't make any sense. You said that that was what was powering this machine in the first place- but if that magic is No1's magic, that doesn't make any sense. What was powering it when it took No1's magic in the first place? How did it take his magic before it had any of it to run off of?"

Foaly shrugged. "Magic, of course. I don't know any more than you do about this Anexche, but if it's powerful enough to make Artemis hear voices, I'll bet whoever this was was able to use him as a sort of current for their magic. It would still take a lot of power to get this thing running, though."

* * *

Holly sighed, rubbing her temples. Just when one problem was solved, another cropped its head up out of the ground. "That's just wonderful, then," she muttered under her breath. "We're fighting a genius with ridiculously strong magic. You know, just for once, I'd like a fair fight. Doesn't seem like too much to ask for. But no, instead, we get some creature using dark magic from thousands of years ago that you've either got to be a warlock or a D'Arviting mutant to have magic strong en…" Holly trailed off and her eyes widened as it finally hit her. _Oh my gods. That's who it is. Oh my gods. That's who it is! _

_...Oh, no. _

"Holly?" Foaly asked worriedly, waving his hand in front of her eyes in a dramatic- and unnecessary- show of bringing her back to earth. "What'd you figure out? Holly?"

"Oh my gods," she finally gasped aloud, leaning back against the wall and running a shaking hand through her short hair. "Oh my gods… we're idiots. A genius with unusually strong magic. Who do we know that fits that description?" When she was met by nothing but silence and confused faces, she exclaimed, "Opal Koboi! The one from the past! She's a genius, as we all know, and she did those experiments on herself to make her magic stronger. Not to mention she has plenty of reason to hate Artemis. Oh my gods, it's her."

"_Hold up!" _Foaly shouted, almost like a knee-jerk reaction to Opal's name even being mentioned- cutting off Holly in what could only be described as alarm. "Hold up! No, Holly- don't bring her into this! Just- just because she fits the profile- that doesn't mean she's responsible! For one, where's her motivation? Revenge is one thing- this is more than that! And speaking of that, her plots for revenge are convoluted, but not _this _convoluted! And remember that past Opal hasn't lost every semblance of sanity! Destroying the world via nuclear fission means no world for her to rule- present Opal could be crazy enough to try it, but past Opal- no way."

"And I don't think her first act with Anexche would be _revenge_," Butler pointed out, moving smoothly into the discussion. "Somehow, I see her aiming for world domination before taking us out. And as Foaly said, this isn't so much world domination as world destruction."

Holly shrugged, undeterred. "That fact that she 'fits the profile' makes her a prime suspect. Who else, after all, besides her could pull it off? Who else has a dozen axes to grind with Artemis _and_ can pull this off? Foaly, you said yourself this machine was originally designed by her!"

"I- !" Foaly shut his mouth and turned his head away sharply, expression tight with denial. Holly was right, and he knew it. Opal wasn't the _perfect_ suspect; no, there was too much that didn't fit. But enough made sense that they had to consider her.

No matter how much his mind rebelled at the thought of squaring off with that megalomaniac _again_...

"...All right," he conceded reluctantly. "She is a- a _possible_ suspect. But Holly, if she is involved- there has to still be something we're not getting. Her goals are revenge and domination- she's not crazy enough to destroy the world to get them. ...Yet."

"What about a terrorism angle? You suggested that originally, Foaly." Butler questioned cautiously. "She's not the perfect suspect- well, maybe that's because she's not working alone. You said there are plenty of terrorist groups in Haven that are none too happy with us humans working side by side with the LEP..."

"But few that would work with Opal," Holly countered. "Her work with the goblins mostly turned off any non-goblin groups from siding with her. Her, uh... actions against Commander Root pretty much solidified the dislike any legit, legal groups against our collaboration with humans. Or, well, you guys."

"And I really doubt any goblins are smart enough to manage something like this- not to mention they have nothing to offer Koboi," Butler scoffed. 'Suffice it to say I have experience working it with geniuses, and Master Fowl would sooner abort then work with idiots."

Holly nodded in agreement- and cast a disgruntled look in Foaly's direction. "Right... I can understand that..."

Foaly didn't miss the implied insult, and he bristled at her words. "And can't the LEP's greatest technical genius ask for an assistant with at least a high school education? Come now- that's not even high standards, that's just basic expectations!"

"You made the new intern- _graduate student _of one of the most elite colleges in Haven- cry!"

"Special circumstances!"

Holly laughed at his protest, shaking her head in amusement- and there, Butler decided, was his cue to tune out.

Their angle on underground terrorist groups was right, he could feel it. Opal had to be involved, no one else could be responsible for the Anexche- but there was more, and he had more than an inkling that their first theory of terrorists was right.

Maybe not goblins. Artemis had never had the patience to deal with anyone who couldn't at least understand their operations; Opal had less patience than he did and goblins were stupider than any human they had ever dealt with. He couldn't imagine that crazy working with them; her assistants were pixies for a reason.

And Foaly had already ruled out any others...

Butler frowned grimly. Foaly had said other groups wouldn't be involved, first and foremost, due to Opal's role in B'wa Kell Rebellion. The goblin uprising, after all, had to have pissed off anyone who wasn't a goblin.

But that was many years ago. And humans, at least- often did not hold grudges that long.

_And the enemy of my enemy is my friend... I wonder if the fairies practice that philosophy, too? _

He could picture it easily. It made perfect sense, truly- terrorist groups underground who sought retribution against the humans who had driven them off the surface, now watching as their own police force teemed up with one of the most deadly _Mud People _on the planet. There was hardly a worse scenario.

And then, there was Opal.

Opal was many things, but Butler thought it was pretty easy to assume that she wasn't about to be working with humans anytime soon. She was an opportunist, and there was absolutely no opportunity that would arise out of working with an enemy of the fairies. There were, however, opportunities that could arise out of working with terrorist groups.

And Opal may have been an enemy of the fairies, but she was no friend of humans.

_And as for her murder of Commander Root- that certainly doesn't exclude everyone from the suspect pool. I'm sure there are more than a few terrorist groups willing to overlook that in their partnership choices. _

Butler nodded to himself in confidence. Opal was behind this, all right- they just had to find out who she was with.

_And why._

* * *

_January 06, 1998, ?_

Artemis rubbed his eyes in a mix of frustration and exhaustion, watching glumly as Orion limped his way through London with still no success in finding a doctor out on the street. He had to assume it was his luck that Orion had found his way into one of the more sparsely populated areas of the city; if he were still in the heart of London, more than one person would've tried to call him an ambulance by now. No; as it was, Orion was still wandering about, asking every person he ran into if they could point him in the direction of a doctor.

So far, he'd been pointed towards three therapists and one mental hospital.

And, never once in his search had Orion once thought to look in his own pocket and try the bottle of painkillers just waiting for him within.

Artemis supposed he was just lucky that there had been no more close encounters like the one with his father. Though, if there had been, he might have just been convinced someone really was out to get him. For now, he was content to think it a case of very bad luck indeed- a case of bad luck that only got worse, as the closer it got to the time to begin his plan and not only was he not in position- but he wasn't in control of his body at all.

Too bad his meticulous plans hadn't accounted for alternate personalities.

Speaking of which, Hecate had been mercifully silent for at least the past half hour. Even his penchant for annoying him hadn't been able to outlast Orion's roaming. Now they both just watched, aghast and beyond words, as Orion took his sweet time wasting everything he'd planned for.

But even Orion got tired sometimes, Artemis mused, watching with increased interest as his alter turned away from his search, moving towards one of the bus benches in his path and sinking shakily down onto it. These kind of stops had grown increasingly frequent as Orion exhausted all reserves of strength he had, the pain in his leg surely a draining force that Artemis was glad he couldn't feel, and he was beginning to fear that even if he got back in control in time, he wouldn't have the energy to pull anything off but a nap.

_Damn it, Orion... come on... take a rest, have a seizure for me..._

And then, as if on cue, the screen flickered from clear as crystal to hazy as fog.

Artemis's waning interest peaked, and exhaustion turned into stimulation. He raised his head in excitement, watching eagerly as Orion coughed, barely covering his mouth with a trembling hand.

Orion's fever had spiked.

He knew what was coming next.

He made to stand- but Hecate was faster. The sociopath was already on his feet, perfectly stealthy, utterly silent; Artemis barely saw him move out of the corner of his eye. He twisted, turning after his adversary to find Hecate already between him and the door- and the man was grinning.

"Oh, Artemis," the man said, his tone leaning more than slightly towards mocking, "now _this_ is a treat! You look like _you're_ interested in our friend's flagging well being, too." There was a cold glint in his eye that left Artemis more than slightly nervous, and he swallowed and braced himself- preparing for a fight. Because it looked like Hecate wasn't going to let him go without a fight- and just because there was next to no chance of him winning in a physical encounter with the man didn't mean there wasn't a reason to try.

When he didn't sit down, or, indeed, make any move to back off, Hecate's smile broadened. "Oh... you've found some bravado, I see. Well, Artemis- I've found something too. And I've been waiting for the perfect time to bring it out and test it."

Artemis watched his alter carefully- a dark, uncertain feeling beginning to brew in his gut over the look on Hecate's face. He may have only known the alter for a few hours- but it was already quite clear that anything that made him look that cheerful was not something he wanted to hear about.

"Do tell," he murmured carefully, watching Hecate's every move for any sign of danger. His wrist gave another phantom ache, and the beginnings of a cold chill started to creep around his heart.

His alter shrugged. He was still smiling- a slight, mocking version of a grin... his eyes, normally a cool, vacant pool, now just barely alight with confidence... that look- that was one that he _recognized_.

But this time, it wasn't a window into the past that stood in front of him.

It was a mirror.

That wasn't twelve year old Artemis Fowl grown up. That cruel, mocking expression... that was _his_ look for whenever he knew something- and his adversary did not.

The creeping chill transformed into burgeoning dread.

"So, Artemis. You know how you and Orion playing around is only a temporary thing? Well, I've done a little thinking. And I _think_ I figured out how to change temporary into permanent." Without his grin fading even an ounce, Hecate took a slow step forward, raising one of his hands in a slight, vague sort of gesture. His long fingers stretched slightly, as if eager, and Artemis did hold his ground- but it was a near thing.

"I don't know how to get in control, then stay that way. There will always be the risk of you or Orion making a nasty little comeback. But... what if you weren't here to make a comeback?" Hecate took another step forward- and his fingers stretched a little more... curling like they were grasping around someone's throat.

"And, that's when it hit me. Whatever happens, Artemis- if I kill you here?

Artemis's breath caught.

"I don't kill _us_. I just kill your personality. And, there's no coming back from death- right?"

And Hecate took another step forward. His grin widened.

And then he lunged forward.

Artemis took off running.

He just turned and sprinted. There was nowhere to go but anything was better than being a sitting target; he burst into running for his life, turning in twisted circles around the tiny, enclosed space, adrenaline already lending him a burst of speed. Hecate's footsteps followed right after his, even and rhythmic and pounding, and the very sound sent his heart into overdrive and his panic rose even higher. _He's going to kill me! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME! _

He tried to turn again and his shoe squealed and slid on the ground; he flailed and gasped before the wind was knocked out of him, and Hecate had tackled him to the floor. Artemis gasped again; his skull knocked hard against the floor and he saw stars, and then Hecate leaned over him and grasped lightly at his throat. The mirror image grinned and laughed again, boundless madness almost _shining_ in his eyes, expression aglow, and then those icy fingers started to squeeze.

"Now, Artemis, was that so hard?" Hecate hissed, breathing hard in his ear, and Artemis squirmed, fighting desperately to pry at the iron grip around his windpipe. "Why play chase when you know it'll end like this, huh?"

He wheezed out a strained, panicked cry, struggling hard and fighting, and just when Hecate's fingers squeezed again he managed to get one fierce kick to land on the alter's ribcage. Hecate gasped in pain and his grip loosened; it was enough for him to tear free and run again. With another frantic wheeze, Artemis threw himself away and gave himself firmly over to fight or flight, physical instincts rallying up inside him with the war cry of _run!_ Hecate's pained grunt only sent him running faster; he sprinted for the desk and just grabbed a drawer, yanked it out, and threw it before running again.

He didn't turn around, didn't want to see Hecate coming, but the loud clatter the projectile gave when it hit the ground was enough for him to know that he'd missed- and Artemis started running faster.

_Oh, god-_

_Oh, god-_

_OH MY GOD- _

And then there was a burst of pain in the back of his head coupled with a very metal sounding whack, and Artemis stumbled to a stop, pain resonating through his skull and his body shocked with the impact. He tripped and almost fell, the blow powerful enough to leave him frozen, paralyzed- and then Hecate was on him again, and all recovered senses were recovered far too late.

"What, reduced to throwing things now?" Hecate laughed, easily pinning Artemis's wrists with one hand when he threw a wild, swinging punch. The alter sat firmly on his chest, restricting each breath of his already heaving lungs and grinning all the while. "I can kill you so easily; just a neck snap, Artemis, just a neck snap- or would you like something with a bit more blood involved? No? Okay, then, here we are-!"

Hecate shifted slightly, and before Artemis knew it, one hand was grasping his shoulder tight and about to twist him over. With a frantic scream turned gasp of terror he kicked wildly again, straining to free his hands, get the bastard off him, something, _anything-_

"You _fucking rat! I- agh!" _

Artemis stared in shock when one of his flailing attempts to free himself actually made contact with Hecate's face. His elbow connected with lip and Hecate's face whipped sideways- the hand restraining his wrists flying upwards to hold the injury in pain.

Without a second thought, Artemis pushed back at Hecate and frantically backed away again, his short breaths leaving his lungs burning for oxygen and hot blood coursing down the back of his head, leaving his hair sticky and his mind fuzzy. But his mind didn't matter because he only had one thought, and that was to _get away, _and _get away NOW! _

He rushed away, his eyes roving the room desperately for any kind of weapon, but there was none; not even a book or a sharp edge- and the sounds behind said Hecate was back on his feet again- and-

_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die-_

"You're just prolonging the hunt, Artemis! That's just fine- I like my prey feisty."

Hecate's footsteps stopped, and Artemis, breathing hard, forced himself to stop as well- enter into this next phase of the game. He warily turned around- shaking fists already raised to continue to fight.

His alter stood across the room, hardly a hair out of place, his breaths only moderately hard- his grin not taken down even a notch. Of course, the smile's effect was lessened somewhat when his lower lip was a bloody mess. The red substance was smeared across his chin and stained more than a few of his teeth, his smile turned from white to crimson and his face from chalky to gory. Artemis stared, almost shocked that _he_ had managed to cause _that_- but his head rang, and his vision blurred, distorting Hecate's twisted smile; all thoughts of strategy slugged along like rocks in a muddy river; his instincts even felt slow, and he took a staggering step back.

"Oh, running won't save you," Hecate taunted, and he stretched his fingers leisurely, as if this were nothing but a game to him. "Look- you made me bleed, Artemis. And that makes this personal."

And then Hecate lunged forward again.

Artemis flinched back but Hecate moved like a cat; graceful, powerful, and fast beyond belief, and he found himself forced to the ground again in a near body slam. He struggled again, kicking and gasping, but Hecate forced him around onto his stomach before cold fingers latched tight around his wrist and twisted his arm up behind his back.

His shoulder stretched, tendons straining, bones grating against each other as his arm was pushed in a direction it was never meant to go, and it _burned. _It felt like Hecate had taken a lit match to his shoulder and let the fire go rampant, and Artemis _screamed. _

And then, he literally felt the bones slide out of place, and he was knocked breathless with agony.

_Oh, god- Oh, god- It hurts- IT HURTS-_

The hand dropped his wrist and he screamed again, the limb dropping limply to the ground and leaving him wracked with waves of sheer anguish. Hecate's fingers moved to grip his chin, and then another around his throat-

He was about to break his neck.

_NO! _

"Say goodbye, Artemis!"

And then they were both tackled to the ground.

Artemis hit the floor gasping, and then the heavy weight on his chest vanished, and he was free. Shellshocked, he stared blankly; his chest was heaving, taking in hot air and letting him breathe, but, breathing meant he was alive- and Hecate had just- but, he was alive-

What? What?_ What?_

He managed to turn his head weakly, blinking to his right- then froze again.

Was that... _two_ of himself wrestling on the floor?

One of him was forced onto his back and pinned, and that had to be Hecate, because he had a bloody lip, but the one on top of him- who was the one on top of him?!

"Artemis! Go! _Hurry!_" the one on top of Hecate yelled, gesturing with his head towards the door. Artemis stared numbly, blinking and shocked and in pain, and the other screamed again. "_Now!_ It's Orion! Artemis, go now!"

_Orion...? _

_Orion! _

Artemis shot upright, his muscles jumping into motion again with a shot of energy before he could even think. His feet carried him away-, away, away, _away_ from Hecate- before his mind had caught up with what was going on and he spun around again, his eyes wide. "Wait! Orion! He's going to try to kill you!"

Orion didn't even look at him now, focusing on keeping Hecate down and restrained. "Well, he won't succeed! Go on; get out of here! I can take care of it!"

And with a burning arm, an aching head, and a pounding heart all telling him to run- Artemis did.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, that is the last time I proofread something late at night. I can't believe I left one of my notes in the chapter AGAIN. I am so stupid. Thank you for reviewing...

* * *

_January 06, 1998, London_

There was light.

Artemis fell back into the white light like a drowning man emerging from the surface of the ocean. He hit reality hard and gasped, senses overloaded as all the sights, smells, and sounds of the world hit him again, and sat limply, chest heaving for air and thoughts rambling and crashing into each other until he could manage to slow down and _calm _down.

_Hecate could've killed me-_

_Orion, Orion's with him! Oh my god, Orion could be dead-_

_Hecate just almost killed me- _

_What would happen if he had killed me? Would I have really died?! _

_Hecate- Orion- _

Artemis shook his head and forced himself to breathe slower, trying to make his mind be quiet and just focus on what was here and now. He was alive now, he was in control now. That was all he knew for certain. Orion and Hecate...

_Hecate's not the only one who can fight. Orion had him pinned down... you can't know for sure what happened... _

Artemis raised a shaking hand to his face, then froze, staring at it in surprise. That was the arm Hecate had broken- but it was perfectly fine now. Didn't even hurt.

With a gasp, he reached around to feel the back of his head, but there was no wound or blood there, either. He let out another shocked breath and shook his head, trying to focus and clam down. Of course there was no injury. His real body hadn't been injured in that fight; nothing should've carried over.

But just a few minutes after the excruciating pain of feeling his arm being forcibly broken- feeling nothing threw him for one hell of a loop.

"Thank you, Orion," Artemis whispered, and he didn't know if he'd ever been more sincere in his life. "...Thank you."

_I hope you're still alive. _

And then, the bell tolled, the hour turned- and he was reminded that he wasn't here to deal with alternate personalities.

Sitting up straighter, Artemis forced himself to breathe evenly and reached down to pull the anesthetic out of his pocket before preparing the less than sterile needle. If he wasted time now, then what Orion had just done would mean nothing.

It was time to deal with the Russians. Hecate could be dealt with later.

* * *

Dressed, prepared, and focused- all with half an hour to spare- Artemis had to admit that this was good. Even for him.

Despite Orion's six hour long escapade, he had still made it back to his hotel room in time- and been very glad to find that none of his possessions- i.e. his phone- had been stolen, even though Orion had left without locking the door, and the hotel wasn't exactly home to the most trustworthy types. And now, with everything in place- all he had left to do was instigate phase one of his plan.

"Blasted fairies… they thought they could get away with this," he murmured while looking over his stolen blueprints for the tenth time that hour, planning out every last step that he would take. "They can't. Back to the beginning… where this entire affair started. I'll tear apart their plan, whatever it is, at the seams. They can't conspire against me if they don't know me." Sighing, he picked up his phone and began composing his email to his father's bodyguard- what would really kick everything into motion.

_Mr. Butler-_

_There is no need for you to try and trace this email address. By the time you receive it, I will be long gone, and no one on this earth will be able to tell you who I am- not for a good many years, that is. I am writing this to help you, with nothing but honest intentions. _

_I have done what I can to discourage the Russians from attacking the Fowl Star. However, this may not be enough. If they do attack the Fowl Star and continue with their plans, regardless of my actions, you will be killed, and your employer will be held captive and tortured for over a year. He will lose his leg. This, I am positively sure of. I know of the famed skills of a blue diamond bodyguard, and you are not to be underestimated, but I am quite sure of this._

_Please do not set out as you have planned on the Fowl Star. Please abandon all plans you have with it. Keep an eye out for Russians; particularly the Russian mafia on your watch list. Also, please do not reveal this to your employer. Doing so will simply incite him, and he will feel as if he must prove something and insist even stronger on beginning the maiden voyage of the Fowl Star. _

_Again, my intentions are only to keep your employer safe. Do whatever you have to to convince your employer not to embark this mission. As I know your employer's taste for gold is strong, attached to this message is a folder of blueprints for a new spacecraft. Sell them as you will to the highest builder, or patent them if you want- whatever you wish to do. But it will do a good enough job at giving you the money he is seeking to gain through this mission._

_I plead with you to do this. By the time you read this, I will have done what I can to stop the Russians from interfering, but it truly comes down to you not embarking on this mission. I understand there is no reason for you to trust me; in fact, the very presence of this email should cause suspicions. But what purpose could I have by this letter, if not for your safety? _

_Who else but someone concerned in your welfare could benefit, if you do not continue as planned?_

_If you doubt my sincerity, as I expect you do, then I shall give you a name. Do not bother asking your nephew how I learned it, because he does not remember speaking it aloud and, in fact, as far as my knowledge goes, never has. But it should convince you that I am at least one you should listen to._

_Domovoi._

_-A concerned son_

Artemis read through the email twice before he saved it and set it to send tomorrow afternoon, after he had met with the Russians. He knew how dangerous it was to interfere in the past as much as he was, but he had no choice. The blueprints he had sent to his father were ones Artemis had simply copied down from what NASA had patented six months or so from today. Hopefully, this would cause no great ripples in the time current. Even if it did… it didn't matter. He had no other choice but to do this.

Then, with a heavy sigh, he slid his phone into his pocket, then stood and limped heavily over to examine himself in the dirty, cracked mirror. His appearance tonight was, after all, everything. If he didn't appear like an intimidating mastermind, his plan wouldn't work.

He was wearing a black suit that was slightly too large for him- but he didn't exactly have time to hire a tailor. His black hair had been meticulously combed and parted, though it was a little too long for his tastes- in the grips of a serious illness and hearing voices, Artemis's last concern had been grooming. He sighed regretfully.

It was his dichromatic eyes that really pulled it together. Everything else made him come off as a simple business man, if a little rugged, but his eyes completed the image of a foreigner, and the intimidating figure he needed to be.

Artemis sighed again before with one last look around the now empty hotel room, turned to limp away. Hopefully, this was the beginning of the end of his time in the past.

* * *

_September 13, 2006, Fowl Manor_

"Holly… Holly, come on, stop faking. I know that you're not asleep."

"Obviously," the elfin captain grumbled under her breath, still leaning over on the desk, her head pillowed on her arms, her eyes closed. "You can't sleep in a D'Arviting time stop. And it's been over twenty four hours since _any_ of us have slept. Leave me… leave me alone, will you?"

Foaly yawned himself, patting her shoulder sympathetically. "We're all exhausted, Holly. One more hour until our shift is over."

"Oh, lovely. One more hour before we all pass out from exhaustion. You know, wherever the morons responsible are, I hope it's in the time stop. That way, they're suffering too."

"Actually, it's likely they're as far away from here as possible. They'll likely know-" At Holly's withering glare, Foaly fell silent and balked. "Yes. You're right; they are certainly within the time stop."

Holly nodded darkly before closing her eyes again, letting her weary body fall out across the desk. Foaly groaned and walked away, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "We should have just used this on the siege of Fowl Manor. At the end of eight hours, we were all tired, but _this_…"

Trouble finally arrived, announcing his presence by just poking his head around the doorframe into the lab, and it was clear that the exhaustion was catching up on him, too. He walked slowly into the room, dragging his feet, and he actually yawned before he asked, "What'd you got for me?"

"A few things," Foaly said when Holly rubbed her eyes sleepily rather than answer her commander's question. "None of which will make you happy. Tell me- did your plan work? Did you get the humans out of the time stop?"

He nodded, then rolled his eyes. "You have no idea the trouble we went to. We should win a medal for that feat alone; massive low-pulse blasts by a few of your favorite inventions; managed to spread it over Dublin. I have stealth teams moving through the countryside to find anyone that we missed."

"Ha. I bet Opal's going crazy; she missed out on Artemis's escape from the time stop and is going to have no idea why scores of humans just appeared in present-day Dublin."

"Yeah, well, that's how…" Trouble frowned as what Foaly said registered, then raised his head, his dark eyes narrowed. "Please, _please_ tell me that sleep deprivation just made me mishear you. _Please_ tell me you didn't just say Opal."

Foaly grinned. Holly could've sworn he was enjoying this. "Yeah… yeah, I did," the centaur chuckled. "That's our consensus. Opal."

"Frond… you know, I get that she's your rival, but you can't blame _everything_ on her. And especially not this time! After she became human, there's no possible _way_ her magic could become strong enough to pull of Anexche-"

"No, no. Not Opal in Atlantis Prison. The one that we lost. Who came with Holly and Artemis into the present; _that_ Opal. After all the treatments she put herself through in the past, her magic was stronger than almost any warlocks. And she's more than smart enough to pull this off."

"Foaly's also conveniently forgetting to mention he also agreed that she's not working alone. The Commander's right; you can't blame _everything _on her, Foaly."

"Well, I'm sorry, Holly, for trying to put blame on the crazy who tried to destroy Haven-"

"Fairy terrorist groups," Butler interrupted coldly. He didn't even seem to have the patience to listen to Foaly and Holly argue, his attentions focused on something far more important than a petty disagreement, as he stepped forward and turned to face the commander. "There aren't many of your kind who'd be willing to work with her, I'd imagine, and Holly's told me about some of your groups that are have more than a dislike for us _Mud People- _they're prone to violence, apparently."

Trouble's brow furrowed. "...You have a particular group in mind? What about motive? This sounds suspiciously like you're just looking for a scapegoat- which, if I have to remind you, we _don't_ have time for."

Holly re-entered the conversation then, pointing behind the commander to one of Foaly's computers that had been set up around the lab. "We did some research. Eliminated enough to get the three most likely groups- it's nowhere near perfect, but it's something. As for motive?"

"Well, that's a question that answers itself, Trubz-"

"_Commander."_

"-because you're talking about Artemis Fowl here. Just a few years ago, _we_ would've had motive to kill him. I'm sure most of the People still see him more as an enemy than an asset. For the radical groups, he's a death trap waiting to happen."

Trouble groaned loudly. "Yes, and thank you for stating the perfectly obvious, Foaly. Maybe if this were a murder investigation, that would be helpful. But just wanting him dead hardly explains _anything _that's happened here."

"Right, Commander," Butler agreed. "I had trouble explaining that, too. ...I think we were never supposed to find out about the Anexche. I think they don't really care about what happens to _Artemis_, specifically- they're just using him to make a statement."

His eyes narrowed. The commander took another long look at the list on the computer, then turned back to the group, his hard gaze jumping from person to person. "Explain."

"It's politics- and simple, at that. They didn't want us to have any other explanation for what happened here other than Artemis was waging a D'Arviting_ war _against us. And then we'd have no choice but to fight back."

"These groups- these three are all radicals who advocate open war with humans!" Trouble exclaimed. He set the laptop down and sat on the table next to it, looking closer at the other information on the page. "Of course... the Council would have no choice. Public opinion says go to war; kill or be killed- we'd end up obliterating the Mud People in a matter of weeks. And Fowl- he's one of the only things standing in the way of that. He would, without a doubt, be the biggest danger to us in any potential conflicts against the Mud People. They're not just using him as a catalyst for war- they were taking out a threat! Two birds with one stone!"

"Exactly," Foaly said darkly. "Not to mention this would rather clear up the situation for Opal- revenge via nuclear fission, and I'm sure it's easier to conquer the world if there's one powerful race instead of two."

Trouble frowned. "Her again- what's her role in all of this? Just the Anexche?"

Butler nodded. "Yes. We think. Regardless, even if she's not involved at all and we're just wrong, I'm sure she's taking advantage of the situation by now. I think she'll wind up involved if she's not already."

Foaly huffed angrily and looked away. "Of course she will. Has to get mixed up in everything like it's her business... She just can't take a hint."

"Well, your sick and twisted rivalry aside, I'm taking this list back to headquarters now. We don't have time for this hunch to be wrong, but it makes sense to me, so just because we only have circumstantial evidence doesn't mean we're not going to act on it. I'm going to get every known member of these organizations sequestered and interrogated in the time we have left. As of now, our game plan is to send one of you back once we know an exact date to drag Fowl back to the present. I don't care which one of you goes, but you'd better have it decided before Qwan reaches the surface-"

"I'll go, Commander-"

"Mission accepted-"

Butler and Holly both fell silent together in surprise. The mismatched pair turned to look at each other expectantly- and when neither backed down, both of their expressions hardened.

Foaly clapped a hand to his face and groaned. "And just when things were going well."

* * *

_January 06, 1998, London_

"Orion, if you hadn't been foolish enough to bloody well introduce yourself to my father as a mentally deranged knight, I wouldn't have to be standing out here in the cold."

Artemis didn't expect Orion to answer him, but he did hope the alter could hear him. It was, after all, completely his fault that he wasn't inside, listening to his father's speech, and was instead standing out in the beginnings of a snow storm. If he were inside, it was very likely that his father's bodyguard would recognize him as the idiot who had challenged his charge to a duel, and that wouldn't end at all well.

Of course, any irritation he felt now at Orion was very forced. After what had happened...

Artemis shivered and shook his head. _Stop thinking about that and focus. _

Instead of being inside, he was now leaning up against a building across the street from the conference- shielding his eyes from the snowfall and shivering so hard it was hard to hold his phone. He was now watching the goings on after hacking the building's security cameras in a matter of minutes, listening to his father's speech through earbuds while shielding the delicate screen from the storm.

The speech was nothing new. Artemis had listened to his father deliver it many times when he was younger, after he had disappeared- at the time, he had been scanning the tapes with Butler for the Russians. He had heard it so much he had it memorized, and tonight, the speech was identical to how he remembered it.

_Well, that's good, at least. I haven't altered the time stream too much, as of yet._

Artemis sighed tiredly, shielding his eyes from the cold cold and snow and frowning, trying to concentrate on the speech through the biting cold. When his father was finally finished, Artemis groaned, muttering angrily under his breath. "Come on, come on. Speed it up." He already knew what was going to happen.

Sure enough, his father moved about the room for a bit, talking with his contacts, before a Russian approached him. He couldn't hear what was said and the angle didn't let him read his lips, but it wasn't much question as to what had happened when his father turned and began to lead the man across the room to where they could speak in private.

In the past, he and Butler had tried everything to find out what exactly those Russians had said to his father, but to no avail. There were no cameras that had caught the conversation, and they hadn't exactly been able to go back and listen to the conversation first hand- until now.

Artemis ran across the street as fast as his injured leg would allow, pulling out the earbuds and stuffing his phone in his pocket. The moment he was inside he shouldered off his coat and shook his wet hair out, then took a cursory glance around the room.

All fancy decorations and formality, women in gowns and men in suits that made him feel underdressed. Every other person seemed to be holding a wine glass and partaking in the kind of nonsensical, superficial dialogue that had been part of the reason Artemis had stopped coming to these affairs the moment he could, and he found himself rolling his eyes in distaste. With a gruff sigh, Artemis ignored the others and turned to walk swiftly to the door he already knew the Russians had led his father and the Major into. And sure enough, there were the same guards he remembered; just another set of faces from this event that he would never be able to forget. One on the right of the door, one on the left, both just standing there with the same badly disguised air of unprofessional bodyguards. They obviously weren't involved in the festivities at all and had no plans to ever take part in them, they obviously were guarding the door-

And, he hoped, they were as smart as they looked. Which was to say, not at all.

Artemis hurried across the room, moving as quick as he could without attracting attention. And he still attracted less than the pair of bodyguards, he thought, even underdressed, out of place, and, well, wet. The fact that the guards hadn't even so much as looked at the disturbance was encouraging, and he couldn't help but smile a little before he neared the Russians, and had to wipe his features clean.

The two made no move to step out of his way, unsurprisingly. When Artemis simply stood in front of them expectantly, one of the guards gestured for him to leave and said in heavily accented English, "Move along, kid."

_You know, I would, but I've got a bit of business to take care of. _Artemis simply closed his eyes rather than retort. He took a deep breath, focused, reaching far into the deepest depths of himself as he could... feeling for that warm, powerful, familiar strength... _Come on, No1, don't fail me now..._

_Annnnd jackpot._

"What a pleasant evening this is, gentlemen."

When he opened his eyes, they glowed blue, and his voice was shook with the weight of persuasion. "Why, don't you agree?"

And like rabbits into a trap, they played right into his hand.

"Y... yes. Quite."

"I agree."

"Why don't you go enjoy it?" Artemis asked, adding a touch more magic to his voice. When they hesitated, he smiled and said, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. In fact, I'll even keep watch for you until you get back. Why don't you relax and enjoy yourselves for ten minutes or so? No, ten minutes _exactly. _But then you must return to your posts. Do you understand?"

They nodded, slowly, mumbling acquiesces, and Artemis nodded back, then pointed out into the crowds behind him. "Good. Go."

And they did.

The moment they were gone, Artemis almost collapsed rather than just relaxing. He folded in on himself with a gasp and caught himself on the wall, the sudden strain hitting him in an instant and leaving him with a pounding head and abruptly sore muscles trembling with exhaustion. Using his own magic had been exhausting enough, when he had still had it. Using those tiny remnants of No1's was almost impossible.

Shaking his head- and feeling the telltale beginnings of a migraine in the motion- Artemis leaned himself heavily against door and slipped his phone out of his pocket once again. There was no time to be sick now. He could relax all he wanted int he present; right now, there was work to do. Artemis afforded himself only one single second to gather his wits about him once again before quickly opening up a program he had created just for this very purpose- or stolen from Foaly's computers and adapted for his own personal use, but what, really, was the difference- and plugged his earbuds into his ears again.

"...orders from my boss. You are not to follow through with this foolish scheme." _Heavily accented Russian voice…_

"_You_ are the fool, if you think I am this easily intimidated. I am not about to balk at the threats of someone like you." _That's Father, certainly. _

"Our boss suspected you might be so confident. He instructed us that, if you were resistant, to tell you that is he not above harming your son."

"...You wouldn't dare."

"And why wouldn't we? If you don't do as we ask, then we will not do as you ask. You've seen what happens to enemies of our boss. How do you think he would look missing an arm? A leg? A head?"

"Stop this." _That's the Major- and he doesn't sound happy._ "If you think Mr. Fowl is going to be intimidated by this, you are wrong. You won't touch his son. For you to even-"

"Butler, enough. They don't have the audacity to carry out these threats. Besides, if they think going after my son will cause me to back out of my new business deal, they are wrong."

Artemis stiffened. There was such a thing as a bluff, bluffing and bluffing your way with a hand of imagined aces to victory, and then, there was just calling in your losses and going for the retreat. Surely, this situation here, called for just going into the retreat. Surely, he valued the life of his son more than money…

"Mr. Fowl, we will give you one last chance to reconsider. Back out of this deal, or the consequences will be dire."

"And I will give _you_ one last chance to reconsider. Nothing you do will change my mind. Threaten my son if you want, but know this: you will regret ever trying to challenge me."

The sound of quick footsteps barely managed to shake Artemis out of his stunned- and exhausted- stupor to get him to move. He quickly thrust his phone into his pocket and strode away from the door, mentally preparing himself for the next phase of his plan and trying to shake off what he had just heard. _He was bluffing. He was BLUFFING. Get a grip and FOCUS._

But he couldn't focus- not now. Not when he was so trapped in analyzing memories of eight years past.

Artemis had noticed no change in security, no change in Butler's manner, when his father had returned from this meeting and came home. He knew how _he_ would react to a threat like this; no more school, Butler at his side, 24/7, up the security on the manor- and then, show the Russians why exactly threatening him was a bad idea.

_But... Father did... nothing._

Artemis mentally shook himself and forced his mind back to the task at hand. _Brood later. WORK! NOW!_


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you for reviewing! AP exams are overrrrrrrrrr. That means I can update regularly again, yayyyyy :)

* * *

_January 06, 1998, London  
_

"What were you fools doing, wondering around like this was a party?!" Alexander shouted furiously, pushing his way through his subordinates and leading them all out of the building. "I told you to stand guard!"

Bodis and Valentin glanced uneasily at each other and didn't respond, prompting Alexander to continue his berating at full speed. "You two are lucky I don't shoot you- but when the boss hears about that I think a gunshot wound would be preferable to what _he's_ going to-"

Viktor gestured for him to be quiet and Alexander cut himself off with a grunt. "Stop doing this now," Viktor replied coldly without looking back at him. "We can do it later, once we get back to our hotel and call the boss. He won't be happy that Fowl didn't change his mind; might as well give him someone else to be angry at."

"Oh, yeah, like the boss-"

"I think that you will have greater problems on your mind."

Their response to the newcomer's voice was immediate. All four jolted out of their argument to search the darkness to no avail, hands reaching beneath their coats for their guns. "Who's there?!" Alexander yelled, punctuating the statement with a wave of his weapon. "Show yourself!"

"Why, certainly." The cold voice issued out of the shadows, and with it came a tall, pale figure, slim and dark. His black hair was slightly disheveled and fell over his left eye, shielding it from view, while the other, a cold, hard blue, watched them. The man smiled, and Alexander would never forgive himself for the fact that the only description he could think that applied to it was vampiric. "I'm no one but a concerned third party. I just thought it prudent to warn you that you are getting involved in something you had best stay out of."

Alexander narrowed his eyes. The man spoke English with a slight Irish accent and appeared similar enough to Fowl to be his cousin. It didn't take a genius to see what was going on here. "What is this? You think you can intimidate us?"

"Yes, actually, I do."

"Well, boys, redeem yourselves and teach him a lesson. I don't see your fancy muscly Butlers around here, Fowl; you just made a big mistake." Alexander raised his hand to wave Bodis and Valentin forward so they could knock the smugness right out of him, but the Irish man just chuckled softly.

"Before you carry out your idle threat, sir, I think there is something you should see. My friends, you can come out now," the man announced, raising hand to snap his fingers. There wasn't even a pause; literally _immediately,_ out of t_hin air_, four men just- materialized. One moment there was just nothing, and then humanoid shapes dissolved out of the night- and they were all aiming rather large guns directly at him.

_HOLY SHIT!_

Alexander spun to flee only to stop in his tracks at the sight of four _others_- they, too, wielding guns large enough to blow his head off. He whirled back around to see the Irishman still watching them and- and _smiling_, the bastard, the bastard was just standing there with his gigantic guns and men and _smiling_.

"What trickery is this?! How do they just- what did you do?!"

"Why, don't you know? You don't live in the world you thought you did, Mr. Vavilov." The Irishman chuckled lightly, gesturing to the darkness around them. "The people who work for me are light years ahead of your times. Why, I can even cook you alive with nothing more than my hand." He raised his hand to the dim moonlight and a blue spark materialized on his finger tip. A vibrant spark of glowing electricity just lit up on his bare hand, glowing bright in the night, and Alexander swore. The man allowed it to shine for a few moments before he dropped his hand, letting it vanish, and tossed his hair to the side with a slight movement of his neck to reveal his other eye- the color of piercing gold. He grinned again, another vampire smile, and stepped slowly forward.

"I'm not, as you define it, human. You and your weapons are humorous to me, and you and your bravado is truly laughable. Now, unless you'd like to see what _else_ I can do, perhaps you should listen. Leave the Fowls alone- that is all I ask. If you do not, things will turn out very, very badly for you. I convinced your guards to leave with just a few seconds of conversation- what, you think they really were dull enough to simply just disobey your orders and wonder about?" The man chuckled again. "Listen well. You have stumbled upon something that is of greater importance than you realize. For your benefit, our entire encounter has been filmed. I will send the video to your boss shortly, to convince him that you are not simply telling tall tales. You would be very, very wise to advise him to _leave the Fowls alone_. Do you understand me? _Leave them alone_."

The man clapped twice, and, out of nowhere, even more men walked out of the shadows to join their comrades, forming a perfect offensive ring around the four Russians. "These men; they are just a taste of what I can summon. Do not antagonize me by refusing, because what I ask is no request. It is a demand. Do you understand? If you turn down the this one opportunity, I assure you, you will regret it. You will get no second chances."

_Oh holy hell. Holy... hell... _Being in the head of the Russian mafia's inner circle meant Alexander was always the one _pointing_ the guns. He had never been in a situation like this before. Never never never had he been surrounded, trapped, and _thoroughly _beaten- and he didn't like it. His palms were sweaty, almost too much to keep a firm grip on his gun, and his mouth suddenly felt dry. Licking his lips didn't help as he looked around again, searching for an escape route- but there was absolutely nothing. They were walled in by the bastard's reinforcements, and between those guns and that Irishmen, Alexander wasn't sure if it was better to get shot than keep on talking with him. In a desperate attempt to remain in control, he sucked in a nervous gasp and managed, "Who are you?! Who do you work for, and why do they care so much about the Fowls?!"

The Irishman laughed again. "I work for no one. Why I care for the Fowls' welfare is my own business, Mr. Vavilov; I suggest you mind that. Now, do we have a deal?"

"What deal?!" Valentin, always the slow one, yelled. "We give up chasing the Fowls for you; what do you give us?!" He didn't seem to get the point even when Alexander elbowed him in the side, and Irishman sighed, clearly vexed.

"What do you get, Mr. Gorbachev? Look around you. I could kill you in less than a second. Don't ask me for more than that… angering with me is a very, very bad idea." He grinned, or maybe just bared his teeth, and then-

then...

"You will not ambush the Fowl Star. You will leave the Fowls alone. Do I make myself clear?"

Oh.

That was... uh... nice.

_Such a nice man, _he reflected inwardly, and he slowly led his head drop in a nod. What he was asking, that wasn't such hard, right? That nice man with the glowing blue eyes just wanted a little favor-

"You will not ambush the Fowl Star. You will leave the Fowls alone. Do I make myself clear?"

Alexander smiled. Such a nice voice. _Such _a _nice_ voice. He would do anything for that voice. Leaving these Fowl people alone, that wasn't a big deal; whatever Mr. Nice Voice wanted...

"I said, _do I make myself clear?!_"

Alexander nodded slightly, tying to please him. "Yes, yes," he murmured, drawn to the gleaming blue of his eyes and the heavenly sound of his voice.

And then the light in his eyes went out, and when he opened his mouth, his tones weren't quite as lovely as Alexander remembered. "See. That wasn't so hard, now was it? Now- leave. Go call your boss. He will shortly receive a video of our meeting in an untraceable email. Remember- follow my instructions if you like your head being on your shoulders instead of on the ground. Or in a vat of acid. I'm open to suggestions on how to take care of you if you don't do as I ask." His grin broadened as he clapped once, and his men instantly moved aside with a military discipline, clearing the way.

* * *

Artemis watched as the four Russians turned slowly in their stupors, stumbling down the snowy alley with their heads still in the clouds, leaving him behind. He sighed and smiled, waiting until they were well out of his line of sight before he walked over to pick up his phone from where it had been propped up against the edge of a building. With a few deft strokes on the touch screen, the holograms of his army vanished. "Thank you, Foaly," he murmured as he slid his ever so helpful phone into his pocket.

Well, that had turned out better than expected.

_Oh, who am I kidding- this is the best my plan could've possibly gone!_

There was something that felt good about a plan succeeded ultimately and completely, and something even better about knowing that he had outsmarted and _won _against the fairies, but that Butler and his family were safe. He had_ succeeded. _"Hey, Orion, Hecate!" he called softly, unable to help the ecstatic grin coming, unbidden, to his features. "We're done here- my plan worked. So while I ask you to kindly not interfere- it doesn't even matter anymore. As long as I'm back at Fowl Manor by tomorrow, I'm done."

And that was that.

_I'm... done. _

With the culmination of all his plans, all of his work, all his _hopes_ climaxing now and leaving him out on the other side of the mountain, Artemis was hit with a wave of exhaustion so powerful his legs trembled and almost gave out on him. He slipped and caught onto the wall, rubbing his eyes, tired from the use of the _mesmer_, then felt his forehead. It felt like his fever was returning.

"Bloody wonderful," he muttered under his breath. He managed a lilting stumble down the alley, slowly dragging his feet and hiding hid now freezing hands in his pockets.

He did not get far.

"I don't well appreciate you trying to intimidate me."

Artemis had just reached a patch of ice at the sudden intrusion, and the slight jump translated until a split second flail of his limbs to keep his balance. He grabbed on tight to the edge of the building and jerked his head up, adrenaline souring high and heart pounding- and then gasped.

A thickly muscled, pale figure stood in the entrance to the alleyway. There was a long scar over his left eye and his blonde hair was cropped short. There was a gun tucked into his waistband beneath his coat that did almost nothing to hide it, and a cold twist to his smile from a scar that tugged at his lower lip.

Nikolai Azarov, head of the Russian mob.

Artemis regained his composure as quickly as he had lost it, inclining his head slightly and smiling. "Mr. Azarov. What a pleasant surprise. Did you come all this way, just for me?" _What on earth is he doing here?! He's supposed to be in Russia! And I ran a thermal scan of the alley; there was no one else here- how did he get here without me noticing?!_

"No. I actually came to speak with my employees. I was shocked to find them already engaged in conversation with _you_."

_And you weren't scared off by my demonstration?! _"Ah. This saves time, then. You heard what I ask of you?'

Nikolai nodded coldly. "Yeah. I don't have any intention of listening to the likes of you, with your pretty illusions and army of invisible men. Where are they now, huh? Where'd they go?"

Artemis smiled. Admittedly, he had little to smile _about_- he couldn't access his host of holograms while remaining being discreet, not with his phone in his pocket, he had no weapons, he was ill, and he was less than three meters away from one of the most dangerous men in the country. But he smiled anyway. If he could keep up his image, then perhaps, _perhaps_, he could get out of this.

"I sent them home, thinking that you would not be foolish enough to try and meet with me again so soon. Clearly, I was wrong."

"Really?" he sneered. "You just…. sent them home, did you?"

Artemis sighed, trying to appear vexed. "Yes, I did. Did you not see how I made them appear out of thin air? You don't think they can leave in the same fashion?"

Nikolai narrowed his eyes and remained silent, giving Artemis hope that he could salvage this situation. "Over-confident, kid. You shouldn't have done that." He pulled the gun out of his coat and aimed it right at him, his finger resting threateningly on the trigger.

Artemis just kept on smiling, refusing to display even a hint of his internal panic. "Really? After what you saw, you think a mere man-made _bullet_ could take me down?"

Nikolai didn't lower his weapon, but he didn't shoot, and that was something. "Tell me who you are. Fowl hired you, didn't he? You're Irish and you look like him… what are you, a relative of his? He hire the black sheep of the family to do a few magic tricks and pretend he's really some great and all powerful enemy?"

Artemis laughed lightly. "I am not related to that human; I simply choose to appear to you with this look. Now, Nikolai- will you, or will you not, agree to my terms?" While he spoke, Artemis struggled to concentrate through his pounding headache and fever to dredge up enough magic to perform the _mesmer_ once again. He only needed a few seconds' worth, and yet, he didn't seem to be able to use it. He just wasn't strong enough.

Something was off. Nikolai didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest by his attempts to offset him. He even laughed. "Whoever you are- I'm in this because it's all a game to me. I love the rush. You added into the mix just makes the game more interesting. You threaten to kill me? Fine- all the more fun for me."

And with those words, a cold horror was instilled him. With Nikolai's grin, Artemis's last vestiges of hope fled, and a dark chill gripped him by the heart. He kept up his smile, but by now it was more of a twisted and forced expression than anything that could pass for genuine.

_He's a sociopath. _

_He's a bloody sociopath. _

His plan had always been a long shot, at best. It was based on just too many variables. He had tried to control everything, for an uncontrolled experiment could not be guaranteed success, but it was just impossible to ensure completiong. But the one thing that _was_ constant was that it had always relied intrinsically on human psychological nature- it played on their fears, their hopes, their habits, their ideals-

But none of that applied to sociopaths. This was one variable he couldn't control and, in his present circumstances, he saw no possible way for him to escape this situation unscathed.

When Nikolai approached him, Artemis found himself helpless do anything but stand there as the Russian hit on his head with the butt of the gun.

* * *

_September 14, 2006, Fowl Manor_

Butler understood why Holly wanted to be the one to go.

She was Artemis's friend. Of course she would want to. She hadn't noticed anything was wrong, failing in the same realm he had, and wanted to rectify that terrible mistake by at least bringing him back now, before it was too late. Even simpler than that: Artemis was in trouble, and she cared about him. It wasn't out of any misplaced sense of duty as an LEP officer, or that his actions in the past now inadvertently threatened others (her people) (_the world)_- just friendship.

She was the probably the only one in the world Butler would stand to see go back in time now in his place.

And that didn't matter in the slightest.

"Holly, I _know _you understand why I want to go back. Our reasons are the same. And I can't ask you to just leave it to me to take care of- I can't even give you a reason why it should be me and you. But... _please._" Butler had never been a man of words, and now, especially, he was paying for it, as he struggled to explain _why _he _had _to be the one to go back.

The little elf had to tilt her head almost all the way back to meet his eyes, and when she did, he couldn't help it; he flinched. Holly's eyes were Artemis's, now. The elf had the same mixed gaze of ocean and hazel that had followed his every move for three months now, that he had known ever since Artemis had strolled back into this dimension after three years gone and appeased the weight of his guilt with just a smile. The same gaze that made him flinch now, because the other owner of those two eyes was not here when he should be.

Not that he flinched visibly, of course; if there was anything Madame Ko taught, it was not to react physically in any way that showed unease or discomfort. Showing signs of weakness was asking to get killed.

_Actually, if there's anything Madame Ko taught, it's never to let the Principal out of your sight. _

_Never to let any harm come to the Principal. _

_Do whatever you need to, even if it means overriding your Principal's orders, to keep them safe. _

_Your life's purpose is protect the Principal. _

Butler sighed deeply.

This constituted a failure of his life's purpose then.

Almost _every single _run in with the fairies had, actually.

_You'd think saving the world just one time would be enough, Artemis... _

Being a good bodyguard wasn't easy under normal circumstances. But being Artemis Fowl's? It would be the worst nightmare of Madame Ko herself.

_Never blame the Principal- they'll make your job harder in every way possible, but the day you blame the Principal is the day you're not fit to be a bodyguard. _

Right. Madame Ko was right. This was not Artemis's fault- it was his.

_Mine, and whoever the hell is responsible for the Anexche. And they're not about to live much longer. _

"Look, Butler, I understand- but it's not practical," Holly said placatingly, but her expression was concerned, and her voice, worried rather than persuasive. "Whoever goes is going to have to track him. And since I don't think we have any pairs of wings that can fit you, you'd have to go entirely on foot. You wouldn't be able to _mesmer_ him if he resists... which he probably will... you won't be able to mind wipe anyone if need be- it's just more likely I'll be able to succeed." Holly's expression softened, and the elf's voice lowered to become a touch pleading. "We can't take chances with this one, Butler- the stakes are too high. ...Artemis is in danger now, but if we fail- there's no telling what might happen."

The fact that Holly was absolutely right?

Not helping at all.

Butler had already known what Holly's argument would be, and he had to concede that it made perfect sense. Logically, there was every reason for her to go after Artemis and none for him to do it. She was just as emotionally invested as he was; he didn't question her motivation at all. She knew Artemis as well as he did; if he wouldn't be able to talk Artemis out of his plan, neither would she.

There was no reasoning for him going back instead of her- none that he could just explain vocally, anyway. Not unless he could find a way to vocalize this hard, lead weight sitting in his stomach, the guilty drag on his limbs, the regretful taste in his mouth.

Artemis had been his charge since the day he was born. And since day one, he hadn't really needed a _bod__yguard_. Through the first ten years it was Fowl Sr that had attracted all of the attention, and the Major that had dealt with it; the few enemies foolish and callous enough to go after his son had hardly been talented enough to warrant a Blue Diamond bodyguard- hardly more than street thugs, intended to scare, not harm. And when Artemis had graduated to the illegal side of things himself and his father had gone missing, the threats hadn't increased. Not many people actually _believed_ that a child was the source of their missing money, destroyed headquarters, and occasionally murdered henchmen- the benefits of being a child genius.

The demands on his skills had still gone up, of course- but what that boy had needed was a strike team at his command, not a Butler.

And then came the fairies.

Interracial wars, magical bombs, outrunning godforsaken _trolls_- now Artemis didn't need a strike team, he needed a _team_ of Butlers. And oh, hell, had those chaotic few years made up for that first lackluster decade. The fact that Artemis was still breathing was more a testament to sheer luck than his skills or the technology of their fairy friends- and eventually, luck ran out.

_And run out, it did._

And, in one of the few times that Artemis had really, truly needed him- he'd managed to stay completely and utterly oblivious. Some bodyguard; Artemis had been attacked in his own home, _in his own mind, _and never mind keeping him safe, Butler hadn't even _noticed_.

What it came down to was that Butler hadn't just failed his charge as a bodyguard.

He'd failed Artemis as a friend.

_Please, Holly. Let me fix this. _

Without saying a word, though, it seemed that Holly was able to understand. She just looked at him for one long moment, and then, smiled. She hopped off her perch on the table and gestured for him to come closer. "I get it, big man. But this isn't about either one of us- right now, that role belongs to Artemis. And I'm his best shot of getting back here alive- _without, _as Foaly says, causing the mother of all time paradoxes."

"But, Holly-"

"Of course, I don't expect you to just wait and be patient in the meantime. You're a big boy, you can do big boy work." She winked, briefly shutting Artemis's eye with a widening grin, and Butler started to smile himself.

"What are you planning?"

She shrugged. "It's simple. Koboi's still at large- and at the moment, not much effort is being expended to catch her. They're more focused on the situation with the time stop. And that's where you come in."

"You want me to track her down?"

Holly nodded slightly. "Yes. Well, you and Foaly- I want people I can trust working on it. That's a short list. The Commander's going to be caught up in everything else going on... that'll leave you two able to rogue without being missed."

Butler gave her a knowingly look. "You understand we won't be able to do much without LEP approval. They have all the manpower, all the technology- we're just two people."

"And so is Opal right now," she countered. "The Commander's pulled out all the stops to get those terrorist groups in custody- and she's Public Enemy Number One. Doesn't have many places to hide out- no way she can remain on the run forever. And, anyway- I'm not asking you to catch her. Just... start an investigation, okay?"

Butler sighed heavily. It wasn't ideal, but, well, it was better than just sitting on his ass while others did all the work to save someone that was _supposed_ to be his responsibility. He gave a gruff nod and looked away, towards the door, swallowing down his frustration. If this was all he could do to help Artemis, then he damn well was going to do it.

Holly's hand on his arm drew his attention, and he glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye to see that she was smiling reassuringly again. "Don't worry, big man. While you're working on bringing her in, I'll be working on bringing him home- I'll even drag him kicking and screaming if I have to. And before you know it, we'll both be back- and he'll be okay."

Butler forced himself to nod in acceptance. Her words painted a pretty picture, all right, but there was nothing guaranteeing that it would come true. And he'd worked in this profession long enough to know that reality wasn't ever so kind.

But thinking that wasn't going to help Artemis- and Artemis was his only concern here. His own feelings about the situation didn't even rank on the list.

So he would believe Holly's pretty picture until it was proven wrong, because as long as his attention was divided between Artemis and Opal, he wouldn't be very effective. He would believe she was right, and in two days time, if she wasn't-

Well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

* * *

_September 14, 2006, Fairy base of operations in the time stop_

"Upper right corner: Dwa'ni. Upper left: Herazani. Bottom right: Anglok. And, of course, me in the bottom left. Interrogators on stand by, waiting your orders, sir."

"Well then get them off stand by and make them do their jobs!" Trouble barked. "We don't have time to wait for my say so. Where are the others you found?"

The agent's eyes shifted slightly, indicating he was doing something more with his computer besides communication, before he focused again on Trouble and said, "Those low on the watch list are still being rounded up; we're stuffing them in storage closest converted to cells and rooms in the basement; hell, we're even occupying the office next door. The ones we figure are in charge are in interrogation rooms all by their lonesome... ordering interrogators in there now, sir."

"We're still working with all three groups, right?"

The agent nodded. "Yes, sir."

Trouble swore to himself, trying to block out the overwhelming cacophony of their base of operations and focus just on this conversation. "...Right. Okay. We're working on that here too but by no means stop trying to narrow it down to one. And remember, we're only _suggesting_ Koboi's involvement- our only goal is to find out when exactly Fowl went to the past! Everything else is second priority!"

"Yes, sir. I'll keep you posted, sir."

"Dismissed."

With a somewhat grateful-looking salute, the agent stood and near sprinted off camera, leaving Trouble back to his earlier work. Picking up the laptop and tucking it under his arm, Trouble turned back to the other conversation he'd previously been involved in.

Before him was a) a team of LEP officers, and b) a whiteboard absolutely covered in diagrams. The names of their top three most-likely-to-be-involved terrorist organizations, Dwa'ni, Herazani, and Anglok, were written in black in the center, and then, multi color arrows arcing out and twisting over the board to connect them to a hundred different similarities and differences, contacts and organizations- one massive web that was supposed to help clarify things.

Supposed to.

Right now, it was just giving him a headache.

"Welcome back, Commander," Alex, the elf in charge, said. He then launched off without preamble, getting him back up to speed without so much as an introductory word. "In your absence, we managed to draw a parallel between Anglock and Herazani- of all the contacts we've noticed so far, they, compared to Dwa'ni, lean more to the safe side. We've found enough cases that a solid pattern has been established; the Anglock and Herazani almost always partner with smaller groups- ones with less resources, less power, and work more as mercenaries than to accomplish their own goals. Smaller groups have the trade off of being able to accomplish more because they're not popping up all over our radar, but being able to accomplish less because, well, for obvious reasons- their group is small."

"I'm guessing Dwa'ni doesn't have that habit, then?"

Alex shook his head grimly. "Nope. They sacrifice secrecy for results, Commander."

Trouble sighed, looking back over at the whiteboard worriedly. At least this new discovery could be contrived as helpful, unlike most of the drivel they had turned up, which would help make a defense when their lawyers sued them for unlawful detainment but had nothing to do with this disaster. All three had ties to present Opal before she had lost her ever-living mind, none had ties to past Opal, whatever the hell she was up to, all had expressed their vehement dislike over the activities of the LEP concerning Artemis Fowl, none had shown any willingness to compromise on their stance on the Mud People- the groups had everything in common in terms of their activities and probably the only reason there were three separate groups instead of one is that illegal activities were always easier in small teams. Just because they all weren't responsible for the Anexche business didn't mean they wouldn't all jump at the opportunity.

Of all the things Trouble missed before his promotion, he reflected, _this_ was not among them. Send him out in the field for a beat 'em up and shoot 'em mission and he was in paradise, but stick him behind a desk, give him a thousand and one files, and tell him to figure out which one of the criminals who should've been put away a long time ago was responsible for the latest crime? No, thank you.

"Sir... In the humble opinion of just a lab assistant, I think this new information ups the Dwa'ni to become are most likely suspects?"

Trouble had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. These assistants nowadays; they lacked anything resembling a backbone. "First of all, don't phrase your opinion like a question. If it's worth saying aloud then it shouldn't sound like you're asking me for permission to speak. And second of all, why? Opal is one person- that hardly qualifies as a large group. The others have more of a history working with small ones-"

"Right," Alex said with a nod. "But it's not the number of people so much as the dynamic, I think- when the Dwa'ni works with others, it's an equal partnership. The other groups, I think they more order around whoever they find. And from what I've read in the file, Koboi doesn't exactly take orders well."

Trouble blinked in surprise. He hated to admit it, but Alex, little newbie assistant boy, was right. Opal Koboi would sooner die than take orders, and any terrorist group stupid enough to assume otherwise would soon find themselves on the wrong end of a vindictive, sadistic revenge scheme.

It wasn't solid. It was conjecture based off habits and behavior; not enough to even be called circumstantial. And this wasn't the kind of operation that could be based off anything _but_ the most solid of facts.

_But we don't have a choice anymore._

Trouble care to ensure his voice was steady when he spoke again. No need to worry the younger agents. No need to show just how dammed _important _this was, just how _flimsy _this evidence was- and just how much he couldn't afford to care. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and just because he was being thrown the sugar dusting off a candy wrapper didn't mean he could refuse.

"Good job, Alex. I'm taking your info and running with it. Keep working; focus exclusively on the Dwa'ni- specifically on matters relating to Koboi or Fowl." He paused, and then, went on. "Grab your posse off the hologram team and use them for this too. We needed this information yesterday!" Because as necessary as the teams keeping up the holograms were, if they failed to stop Fowl from pulling off his plans in the past, the human world would have a lot more to worry about than a vanished city.

_And not just the human world... _

Trouble rose from his chair and turned away. He had just started towards another sector of their time stop headquarters to check in on the status of their attempts to handle the humans still trapped in the past and the others creating an outcry back in the present when Alex broke his meek streak.

"Commander!"

Contrary to his confident (or was that just a little desperate?) tone, when Trouble looked back at him, it was to meet hesitant eyes and an even more hesitant expression. It only took half a second for his patience to snap. "Damn it, Alex, what! I don't have time to stand here waiting for you to find your D'Arviting courage; spit it out!"

The kid jumped like a scared rabbit. Trouble's command had the words pouring out of his mouth in an incomprehensible mess, and he honestly would've just left and let him sputter if the man hadn't managed to pull himself together in remarkable three seconds.

"I- it's just- I'm sorry, Commander! I thought- I know you're busy-" Alex cut himself off with a forced exhale and shook his head vigorously. With the motion, his expression shifted as if he had just cleared his head. His features fell from frantic nervousness to a more honest seriousness and concern; the half of his unkempt, black hair that had fallen out of his ponytail flopped over his tired face to reveal an exhausted pallor and partially cover one of his eyes, and it was a testament to how truly tired the assistant was that the elf didn't push it out of the way. When he spoke again, his voice was both more sedate- and despairing.

"Commander. The rumor is that... that this is more than what you're telling us. People are saying that if we don't figure out when Fowl went, and stop him, that we'll- that what he's doing will- ...that we're all going to die."

The already pale assistant paled some more, and his eyes met Trouble's- his worried, _expectant_ eyes.

Trouble knew what he was supposed to say.

Any good commander would motivate the men. Not necessarily spread false hope, because false hope was bad, but stop them from falling into despair. Tell them there was some hope left and give them cause to keep working.

_But, oh, hell, did I never want this job. _

Trouble wasn't a good commander, nor had he ever wanted to be one. He had just fallen into it after Julius had died and Ark Sool had been forced out, and it wasn't hard to be more popular than that moron. They'd been in desperate need of someone who could accomplish something besides inspiring dislike, and well, it was his duty to the agency to step up.

That was all.

_Julius, this really should be you right now..._

In the end, Trouble said nothing at all.

With one long look at Alex, he turned on his heel and left.


End file.
